Commonplace & Comeuppance
by Discordence
Summary: The newly recruited Megaforce Rangers now have a lot on their plate, with the Warstar and their own lives. It'll be one fun ride for them as they struggle to keep both problems under their control.
1. Late-Night Surveillance

**Author's Note: **My first ever story and the first story of my trilogy, 20/21.

Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers.

**Chapter 1: Late-Night Surveillance **

It had only been a few hours after the first Loogie invasion, and the new Rangers has returned to their homes. While the five are resting, their mentor was doing no such thing.

"Oh, Gosei, they were just amazing out there!" Tensou remarked as he rolled about the Command Center in joy. Gosei didn't dare utter a word as his large, mounted head watched the battle's replay from the red panel, the panel he showed to the team's leader, Troy, earlier in the day. Their swift kicks and dodges, the way they summoned their weapons with confidence, Gosei knew he had chosen the right children to become the Megaforce Power Rangers.

_You did well, Gosei, you honestly did…Zordon would be utterly proud of you…_

As the thought of his succession with the Rangers lingered, it took Gosei every ounce of his being to resist seeing what they were up to. He lost the battle. All the panels were surrounding his mounted head as they glowed bright.

Pink: Emma was lifting moving boxes into her family's red van. They were moving into a penthouse-like apartment room in the boroughs of Harwood County's metropolis area.

Green (Black): Jake passed the ball to a teammate during soccer practice at Harwood County High School for their Saturday game against a rival school.

Yellow: Gia was begging her mother to force her younger brother to leave her room so that her homework would be complete. It was work due for summer school; it was _her_ choice to go to further her education.

Blue: Noah was working with Mr. Burley, their science teacher, on a project the man requested they should do together. So far, they had a small model robot.

Red: Troy was practicing his electric bass for Harwood High's Advanced Band. The music sounded almost flawless, as his gift to play multiple instruments matched his incredible martial arts abilities, both he honed back in his old place of residence.

Watching how the children were acting reminded him of the first five Rangers known on Earth: Jason, Trini, Kim, Zack, and Billy.

Jason and Troy were both skilled martial artists, both never talked much, and while Jason proved he was a good leader, Troy had time; he _did_ just move to Harwood County, after all…

Trini and Gia were both intelligent as well as strong, and while Trini never claimed the title of "Miss Perfect" in Angel Grove, Gia never liked the label and tried to give other teens the spotlight. Ironically, Trini did the same.

Kimberly and Emma…Gosei chuckled as softly as he could when he remembered Emma commenting on how the helmet would ruin her hair. Kimberly made the same statement. Both were very direct in what they wanted and would stop at nothing to get the job done. Wonder how long Emma would be a Ranger before she would cut straight to defeating their foes…

Jake and Zack were the jokers on their respective teams, but both loved being active. Zack was an amazing dancer, and while Jake would need a dance instructor 24/7, his soccer skills were impeccable. If only he matched Zack's brain…

Billy and Noah are like twins that never met each other. Both enjoy robotics and science in general, though Noah seemed more interested in cryptology. Both wore glasses, ironically, and it would be the only thing to pretty much tell them apart. Billy wore circular glasses, Noah wears square glasses…it made Gosei laugh a bit more, enough for Tensou to notice.

"Is something going on, Gosei?" The rover asked.

"No, everything is fine, Tensou. I'm checking up on the Rangers, that is all." Gosei responded stoically.

"Gosei, isn't that like…stalking them?"

"N-No, I was just interested in what they're doing, making sure they don't break their secret to civilians."

"So, you don't trust the Rangers?" Tensou asked curiously.

"I trust them completely, it's just that they could do it behind our backs."

"But you don't have a back."

"I meant it figuratively, Tensou. Now, let me check up on them."

"Fine," Tensou rolled off, "But I feel like you don't trust them. Stop making them your soap-opera and put all your faith in them. The Rangers won't let you down."

Gosei sighed and refocused his attention to the panels. All five teenagers were now asleep. Noah's head laid on his arms as he slept at his desk, a drooling Jake was sloppily laid out across his messy bed, Gia was wrapped in a blanket as she snuggled into the living room couch, Emma was curled up in her car seat as the van drove downtown, and Troy's hands were limply laid on top of one another while being next to his head, the comforter going up to just under his shoulder.

All of them looked so calm, so peaceful…except for Jake, who Gosei could tell was snoring loudly. Besides the Megaforce Black Ranger, the others looked as if everything was normal. If only that would happen for them…

Gosei remembered how Zordon originally felt when he enlisted Jason, Trini, Kim, Zack, and Billy to be Power Rangers. In the letters he sent to his former place of residence, Eltar, the original mentor had left tidbits of how he hated to bring in teenagers to fight off evil villains, but they would be the only ones to complete this task. If pre-teens and possibly younger were enlisted, it would be morally wrong, and if full-grown adults were enlisted, they wouldn't have as much duration, nevertheless time. Teenagers were a perfect mix, though it still seemed wrong.

_Like mentor, like student…_Gosei thought. _Some things truly never change, but maybe Tensou's right. I must put my faith into the Rangers so that they can succeed._

The panels returned to their respective colors and positions as Tensou wheeled back into the main room. "Ready for a good-night's rest?"

"Yes, Tensou." Gosei concluded as the lights went dim, moonlight pouring in. The rover proceeded into his rest position, and the head shut off completely for the remainder of the night.


	2. Young Bloods

**Chapter 2: Young Bloods**

_The afternoon sun glowed brightly in the loud, outdoor stadium. A soccer ball was airborne, covering the sun, like it was causing a solar eclipse. The commander of the ball shot it towards the opponent's goal, the goalie clad in green missing the block. The player is hoisted into the air, his teammates and the audience cheering his name._ "_Jake! Jake! Jake! _Jake!"

"What?" Jake snapped out of his daydream to see a soccer ball in his goalpost, and himself on the ground. "Aw, come on, Troy, no fair!"

"You know the code, Jake. In soccer, always pay attention to the ball." Troy stated as he helped Jake to his feet. "I'm considering myself lucky that I made a goal against you."

"You should feel lucky. Though, my performance as a goalie isn't all that amazing."

"Yeah, so? I'd be dodging every soccer ball kicked by you. Had it been Noah, blocking wouldn't be too much of a problem."

"Hey, man, Noah's a pretty solid player. A game between you and him would be more watchable than the morning announcements…but seriously, I would've so beat you hard."

"Okay, Messi, I get it." Troy then tossed a green duffel bag into Jake's arms. "Here's your stuff, See you tomorrow." The Red Ranger turned and walked away, and Jake believed he wasn't done with Troy just yet.

"_Wait!_" He called as he caught up to Troy. "How would you…_huff_… like to hang out…_huff_…at my house for a…_huff_…bit?"

"Uh, okay?" The leader replied, a bit confused at Jake's sudden question. The two began to walk towards the Holling residence. Jake found this stretch of time perfect for an interview.

"So, Troy…where are you from?" he casually asked. Troy only glanced at him.

"Oh, you want me to guess? Fine. You're from…Angel Grove!" No answer. "Reefside!" Still no answer. "Uh…Panorama City?" The silence led Jake to an unusual answer. "You're an alien from Mars!" Troy could only face-palm as the game became more tedious. At last, Troy blurted the correct answer out while Jake was in the middle of saying 'Ocean Bluff'. "_Ontario!_"

"Turtle Co—wait, what?"

Troy sighed. "I'm from…Ontario."

"In Canada?" Jake asked.

"No, here in California. Of course in Canada!"

"Troy, that's awesome! What city?"

"Toronto. I was born and raised there. Other than moving houses, the first time we've moved out of province was when we moved here. Jake, please don't tell the others!"

"I promise, Troy. Seriously, though, why didn't you tell us this before?" Troy stared at him. Jake blushed in embarrassment. "Oh, right. Sorry." The boys continued their walk towards Jake's dwelling, to which the Black Ranger began another conversation.

"Do you miss Toronto?" Troy stopped and sighed.

"I miss Toronto a lot, I had really good friends there. I love it here, too, though. I've made great friends like you." Jake blushed in reply and side-hugged Troy as the boys entered the Holling household.

**_~20/21~_**

"So, what do you think?" Emma presented her family's new apartment to Gia, who gawked in awe at the spacious room. Emma patted her shoulder.

"This is just the living room/dining room/kitchen. There's my room, my parents' room, my baby brother's room, and one more…" She took Gia's wrist and pulled her to a room at the end of a somewhat compacted hallway. Pushing the pink curtains aside, the girls gazed upon a spacious room with beige hardwood flooring and clean white walls. A large, semi-circled window started from the half of the wall, up to the ceiling.

"Emma," Gia began, "Your apartment—overall it's—wow."

"Yeah, it's pretty neat." She boasted. "I'm making this an art studio. I originally thought about making this a garden room, but now that we have three new friends, I figured we could all do something together."

Gia walked into the middle of the room, looking up at the chandelier hanging from the ceiling. She knew Emma mentioned something about her new place of residence being pretty big, but not _this _big. "The boys are gonna flip when they see your place."

Emma giggled. "Jake will definitely go nuts, Troy will probably shrug it off, and Noah might try and figure out the area or perimeter of this room."

"Another day in paradise?"

"You know it." Emma then walked to Gia's spot and wrapped her arms around the Yellow Ranger's shoulders. "So…how do you think we'll manage?"

"What do you mean, Emma?" Gia glanced at her in confusion.

"I mean with the Warstar, Gia. They're strong villains, and we're equally strong, maybe even stronger. What's bothering me is how we're gonna keep out identities secret, manage out personal lives, and fight off the Warstar as the Power Rangers of Harwood County."

Gia removed Emma's hold of her shoulders, taking the Pink Ranger's hands in hers. "As Power Rangers, we always find a way. Even if an activity we cherish disappears from our daily schedule, we'll still be the Power Rangers."

"What about…"

"If our parents figure us out, they should feel blessed we're doing our best in fighting off the threats made to Earth instead of being worried for our safety. Secret identities or not, once a Ranger, always a Ranger."

Emma nodded. "Yeah, you're right, Gia. I shouldn't worry about what's going on in our personal lives before it even happens. No matter what, once a Ranger, always a Ranger." Gia hugs her best friend.

"See? Everything's gonna be fine. Now, come on, let's make our mark in this room." The Pink Ranger left and returned with one arm full of painting gear and the other arms with paint cans and two skinny paintbrushes.

"Here, Sunshine. Put this on." Emma teased as she and Gia dressed in their painting gear.

"Looking good, Pinky," she teased back. As the girls began to paint, Gia had a sudden urge to pop a question at Emma, one that bothered her ever since she stepped foot into the art studio.

"Emma, I have a question."

"Yes, Gia?"

"Why don't you have a door?"

**A/N: I wanted to be a bit creative with Troy's hometown. Making him from a Ranger town didn't really interest me. **


	3. Families' Matters

**Chapter 3: Families' Matters**

Inside the Holling residence, Jake set down a plate of almonds for him and Troy to snack on as they simply sat around.

"Welcome home, Jake!" Virginia Holling greeted her eldest child as she came into the kitchen. "Who's this?"

"Mom, this is Troy. He just moved here a few days ago." Jake put an arm around the Red Ranger.

"It's very nice to meet you, Mrs. Holling." Troy put his hand out for her to shake, but Virginia simply walked by it, glaring at Troy as a warning.

"Jacob Reese Holling, make sure this…imp…doesn't stay too long, got it?" Her tone was more vicious as she gave her command and traveled back into the living room.

"Sorry about that. My mom's pretty protective of me." Jake smiled guiltily, but Troy was unfazed. "It's alright, Jake. I'm still getting used to this town."

"Trust me, though; people here are _not _like that. Well, at least my dad isn't." And sure enough, Paul Holling came in from the garage and kissed his son's head.

"Hey there, Jake! Who's your friend?" He greeted.

"Dad, this is Troy. He moved to Harwood a few days ago." Jake reiterated.

"Well, hello Troy! I'm Jake's father, but you can call me Paul. Sorry about my wife's attitude, she never likes to meet anyone new, especially if they're interacting with Jake."

"It's fine, Paul. No feelings were hurt." Troy gave a small smile.

"Alright, then! Jake, why don't you escort Troy home? Dinner's going to start soon."

"But we just got here…" Paul winked, and Jake shot up from the wooden chairs. "Okay, Troy, let's go. Maybe you could show me your house a bit, if you don't mind…"

"…Sure?" Troy responded in a confused manner as the boys exited the Holling residence.

_~20/21~_

"Dinner!" Liam Goodall called into the hallway. The Goodall couple had agreed with the Morans to let Gia stay for dinner, and the family gathered in their seats, the apartment now fully furnished.

"Do you like your art room, Emma?" Liam asked his daughter as he held a forkful of mashed potatoes.

"We love it so far." Emma replied, nudging Gia in her arm. The Yellow Ranger smiled. "Hey, where's Mom?"

"Emmalee Jasmine Goodall, I'm appalled. Are you unaware you're soon going to have a baby brother and your mother needs lots of rest?"

Emma slapped her forehead. "I forgot that Mom still hasn't had the baby yet!"

"How far is she along?" Gia asked in curiosity.

"Four months. We plan on naming him Evan."

"I picked it out." Emma proudly declared. "If it was a girl, we would name her Cerise. It's a shade of pink. Magenta and Fuchsia sounded a little stupid and Rose is overused."

"Okay, then. I think Scarlett would work better as a girl's name. Evan, however, if a great name for your future baby boy." Gia admitted, and Liam nodded in thanks. Emma chuckled and rolled her eyes as she had some of her peas.

"Mmm, what smells so good?" That voice belonged to Eva Goodall as she entered the kitchen, rubbing her protruding stomach. Liam instantly got up and kissed his wife on the lips before sitting her down on a chair at the end of the melon-colored table.

"What would you like to eat?" He asked his wife.

"Everything you cooked." She answered with a groan. She must not have been sleeping comfortably. Liam put the steak, mashed potatoes, and peas on a large plate and served it to Eva. She smiled faintly. "Thank you, dear." Eva stated, and her husband nodded as the family continued their meal with conversations revolving around the future member of the Goodall family.

_~20/21~_

As Troy and Jake walked up to the Burrows household, the Black Ranger could feel that Troy was uncomfortable. It wasn't difficult to know that Troy felt threatened based on how Virginia reacted to meeting him with a hateful tone. The door of the two-story house opened to reveal Troy's mother, Trisha Burrows.

"Hey, mom, I'm home." Troy responded stoically as Jake ran home in worry of what was to go down.

Trisha led her son inside, taking note of how the boy with him ran off in fear. "Is everything alright, Troy?"

"Yes, I'm fine. It's just Jake—the boy who was here earlier—his mom, she kind of threatened me."

Trish pulled Troy into her arms for a comforting hug. "Oh, I'm sorry, dear. It's not good for you, considering you just moved into America…"

"Mom, it's fine, really. It didn't bother me. Besides, Jake claims it was her being overprotective."

"Well, as long as you weren't bothered…"

"She did call me an imp, though…"

"She basically called you a monster and she hasn't even fully gotten to know you yet? That's not overprotective, that's being rude."

"No, she called me an_ imp_. Sheesh, get it right!" Troy corrected his mother.

"Troyler Mitchell Burrows, we do not use that tone in this house!" Trish sternly reprimanded him, bursting into a fit of giggles afterward.

"Sorry!" Troy laughed harder than his mother. He began to calm down as he thought about what Trisha said an imp was like. "Seriously, though, a monster?"

"You were one for sixteen years." Trish joked.

"Sixteen years, eh?" Troy asked, smirking.

"Yeah, Trisha, sixteen years?" The two turned around to see Nathan Burrows emerge from the front door. Both had a smile on their face.

"Dad!" Troy exclaimed, hugging his father tightly. "How was your visit to Alberta?"

"I'll miss my hometown of Edmonton, and I'll really miss Norman, Caroline, and May. But living here is the start of a new page in the Burrows book, and it's one I'm eager to begin."

"I agree." Trisha came up to her husband, kissing him on the lips. Troy rolled his eyes playfully, which earned him a smack on the area where his heart is, courtesy of Nate. Trish looked at her husband with concern, and he immediately realized he shouldn't hit Troy in that area _ever again_. Nathan, in a desperate act, seated himself quickly at the dining table, Troy and Trisha joining him for dinner.

_~20/21~_

Jake decided to head straight to Noah's, hoping he would be up for a chat about what went down with Troy and Virginia. Knocking on the one-story house's door, Noah's mother, Natasha, greeted Jake, the Blue Ranger's baby brother Mason in her arms.

"Noah, Jake's here!" She called. No one came to the door. "Noah?!" Natasha tried again.

"Uh, I'll just come back later…" Jake began before Natasha gave Mason to him.

"Cover his ears." She ordered. Mason's ears were cover by Jake's hand and his chest. Natasha took a deep breath. "Nolan Roger Carver, get out here now!"

"Sorry, Mom! I had to stop Carolyn and Brooklyn from fighting while I watched Austin for any signs of thievery." Noah answered, rushing into the room. Natasha took Mason back and left to join her husband, Benjamin, in their TV program.

"Hey man, can we talk at my place?" Jake asked, and Noah left to tell his parents of where he'll be. Locking the front door, the boys made their way down the sidewalk.

"My mom has gotten out of control, dude." Jake complained. "I invited Troy over earlier, and when they met she called him an imp and glared at him in suspicion."

"Your mom called Troy a monster?" Noah asked, dumbfounded.

"No, she called him an imp. There's a difference."

"Jake, an imp _is_ a monster. The two terms are synonymous with one another."

"Yeah, okay, whatever. Look, I feel guilty about my mom threatening Troy." Jake got back on to the topic.

"Technically, she didn't threaten Troy, she merely insulted him. Not to mention that she can't seem to trust him with your friendship, nevertheless your life. I agree that she's lost it, becoming so low to insult someone new in town."

"Yeah…" Jake trailed off as he pulled out the key to his house, his family having left the shelter. Seeing his home reminded Jake of something he discussed with Troy earlier that day. What he didn't remind himself was that he swore to keep it a secret.

"Hey, did you know Troy's Canadian?" As they entered to hang out, Noah stopped at the door to collect Jake's question.

"Wait, what?"

_~20/21~_

Gia returned home late, spending a little more time with the Goodall family as she was given a tour of their penthouse-like apartment before taking the rest of the time to goof off with Emma in the Pink Ranger's bedroom. Apparently, it wasn't late enough for her little brother's bedtime.

"Gia!" Kayden Moran cried out playfully as he kicked his sister in the shin.

"Ow! Come here, you little brat!" She shouted as she chased a screaming six-year-old around the living room.

"Giana Hannah Moran! Kayden Kenneth Moran!" Sean Moran halted his children with his stifling shout. It also worked with students during P.E.

"Sorry, Dad." They both muttered. He sighed.

"Your mother hasn't been feeling well lately, and its best that she gets the rest she needs. Keep quiet or you're both punished, got it?"

"Yes, Dad." They answered before trudging upstairs into their rooms. Sean rubbed his chin and sighed. Madeline, he noticed, was sleeping, eating, and using the restroom a lot more that she did. He believed it to be a rare or unusual disease, yet she convinced him it was a cold or a fever. While Madeline was the one to worry about Sean, the tables turned to have him worry about her. Sighing, Sean focused his attention back to the TV as he waited for the first child to make any kind of sound.

Meanwhile, up in Gia's room, she and Kayden sat around lazily, one eying the other in patience.

"You do it." Gia pressured.

"No, you do it! You chased me first!" Kayden whisper-shouted. He sunk down in Gia's desk chair, pouting and kicking his feet forward and back.

Gia rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but at least I wasn't the one who screamed out loud."

"Shut up!" Kayden shouted, and that's when Gia raced to the stairs to tell her father Kayden shouted. The small boy didn't want to be grounded, he's been grounded one too many times before, so he zoomed past Gia, his elder sister falling down the stairs. She cried out loudly with every time a body part collided with a stair.

Kayden leaped onto Sean, the man falling back into the couch. He smiled mischievously. "Daddy, Gia is shouting loudly as she's coming down the stairs!"

"He tripped me!" Gia claimed as she came into the room. "Besides, I was trying to walk down here to tell you he was the first person to shout at all, telling me to shut up."

"No, she's lying!"

"He's lying, Dad!" Their bickering became louder until they heard a loud, hoarse, and groggy voice. "_Will you keep it quiet down here?!_"

They all turned to see Madeline Moran with her hair in a mess, her eyes showing bags, and her dress drenched in sweat. "I'm trying to sleep! My stomach has been killing me, and all this loud bickering isn't helping any of your cases."

Sean glared at his kids. "I told you to be quiet, and you _both_ disobeyed me. Gia, Kayden, you're grounded!" The children looked unhappily at their father and whined for mercy.

"Get to bed!" Madeline shouted, and both Gia and Kayden ran upstairs. Sean led his wife up the stairs and tucked her in bed before he got dressed in pajamas, checked on the Moran children, kissed his wife, and went to bed for the night.


	4. A Different Yet Similar Pursuit

**Chapter 4: A Different Yet Similar Pursuit**

"Can you hand me the wrench, Troy?" Noah asked as he reached his hand out, his brown eyes fixated on the open robot. The Red Ranger slapped a silver tool into Noah's unsuspecting hand. "Ow!"

"S-Sorry, Noah." Troy ducked his head in abashment. Noah shook his head in disappointment; it was clear that something was bothering his leader.

"Hey Troy—are you okay? You seem troubled."

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure Mrs. Holling didn't bother you?"

"You…know about that?" Troy began to stand up.

Noah snickered a bit. "Of course. Jake tells me _everything_. He even told me that you're Canadian."

Troy had an expression of pure shock on his face. "Jake _promised_ that he would keep that secret."

Noah turned around to face Troy. "Really? Why would you hide where you're from?"

Troy turned away, a face of embarrassment appearing. "It's something I don't wanna talk about…"

Noah came up and placed a hand on Troy's shoulder. "Oh, I-I didn't mean to bring up a bad memory. If you want, I promise not to tell the girls."

Troy turned to face him with a sad smile. "Thanks, Noah. It means a lot that you would do that for me of all people."

"Hey, you're my friend. Even though I've known you for mere days, I still consider you my friend."

Troy chuckled softly. "You're only saying that because your life is in my hands."

"No, I'm not!" Noah shouting, blushing hard in embarrassment. "…Maybe. Now c'mon Troy, let's finish this for Mr. Burley." Troy slapped his shoulder playfully as the Sky and Sea Rangers got back to work on the robot. After a few hours, Noah felt the tension in the room and had to break the ice.

"Troy, you remember Yuffo, right?" He asked.

"Yeah. We defeated him yesterday. Why?" The Red Ranger replied.

"What he said about him being a scientist…it got me thinking. What if my dream to be a scientist isn't all it's cracked up to be?"

"Noah…why are you thinking like that?"

"Well, it's just about the way Yuffo had those people…what if I have to do something like that, and I see the experiment variable in pain?"

"Noah, the thing is to not worry about what'll happen before it happens. You know, carpe diem."

"What?"

"Carpe diem? Seize the day?"

"I don't speak Spanish." Troy could only sigh in disappointment.

"Noah, what I mean is that if you want to be a scientist, go for it! Don't let the Warstar control your goals in life."

"But Troy…"

"Noah, I'll tell you my goal. I want to be a musician."

"W-What?!"

"I don't look like I do, but I truly want to play music for people, to entertain people. I was gifted with the ability to play all sorts of instruments. I know how to play the contra alto clarinet, the oboe, the piccolo, the baritone saxophone, the bassoon, the French horn, all forms of percussion, and I'm just now learning how to play the electric and acoustic stand-up base."

"Wow, Troy, that's a lot to keep track of. How did you manage?"

"I just did it. Some I learned in school and others I taught myself."

"Were you ever asked to do gigs?"

"Yeah. My directors would comment on how I play all sorts of instruments and that I made it in the first place middle and high school band. I've been across Canada in gigs with the band and on my own."

"Neat! I'd love to do something like that!"

"It was fun for a while, but then I learned that I've been cutting my time short with my family and friends, and I knew I had to quit the gigs after they admitted their bottled-up feelings. That being said, I know what it's like to be in the opposing shoes."

"Wow, thanks for that, Troy." Noah smiled at the Red Ranger.

"Noah, don't give up on what you want to become. Even though it pained my family and friends, I'm not giving up on my dream."

"Yeah…I think I'll still pursue the dream of being a scientist. And the first step is finishing this robot." Noah's smile grew wider. "And with my friends by my side, I can accomplish anything."

"That's it, Noah!"

"Troy, get me that screwdriver! We're not leaving this room until this robot is done!" Noah raised the tool into the air and began to rapidly work on the robot, Troy being a delivery boy in the project. It would take the entire night to complete the metal contraption, the robot being finished thirty minutes before eight A.M.

"Mmm…Troy?" Noah looked over at the Red Ranger, his head laying limply on the floor. Noah slowly got to his knees and lightly tapped Troy on the cheek, making the boy stir a bit.

"N-Noah? What time is it?" Troy asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Seven thirty in the morning. We've been at this all night, but on the bright side…" The Blue Ranger tied the complete mechanism to a red cart and threw a beige tarp over it. "The robot is done and we can take it to Mr. Burley!"

Troy yawned and stretched. "That's really great, Noah! I'm glad I could help you out with this."

"I promise I'll give you credit. You were a big help, and I don't want it to go unknown to Mr. Burley."

"Thanks." Troy got to his knees and then to his feet. As he stood there, he felt an immense swelling in his chest. He grasped his shirt and took deep, quick breaths.

Noah turned to face Troy, who was sweating immensely and gasping for air. "Whoa, Troy, a-are you okay?"

"N-Noah, help…get…mom…" Troy stopped muttering as he sunk to the ground, Noah forced down next to him. He tried shaking Troy awake, but the boy appeared to be unconscious.

Noah ran, shouting for Natasha. "_MOM!_ _Call the hospital, Troy needs help!_"

**A/N: Yeah, I kind of meant to place this cliffhanger here. This will lead into something...interesting much later in the trilogy. ; )**


	5. True Blue

**Chapter 5: True Blue**

"Troy? Troy?!" Noah called out to the figure on the bed, shaking his limp hand wildly. The Red Ranger made no kind of self-movement. That worried the Blue Ranger even more. "TROY!"

"NOAH!" Natasha shouted, massaging her head. "Will you calm down? The doctors haven't fully analyzed his condition yet!"

"Mom, what if he never wakes up again? What if his collapse was my fault?"

"Baby, he's still breathing," Natasha then looked closely at Troy, catching his unperceivable breaths. She nodded as confirmation. "Besides, you don't know where the pain was in his chest."

"We do now." The Carvers turned around to see two doctors enter the room, one equipped with a stethoscope and the other with a clipboard. "After taking numerous tests, we determined that Mr. Burrows had an event of cardiac arrest."

As Natasha was intensely focused on the stethoscope gliding around Troy's bare chest, Noah looked at the clipboard doctor in shock. "He had a…heart attack?"

"Yes, but with his cardiovascular faults, it isn't a large shock."

Noah adjusted his glasses a bit. "Cardiovascular faults? Are you saying that Troy has a heart condition?"

"A heart defect to be exact, Mr. Carver. Ever since his birth, Mr. Burrows has been in and out of Toronto-area hospitals, the majority of them dealing with artery clogging or heart attacks, and one was a hair off from being a stroke."

"That's a lot to deal with for a growing boy like him." Natasha commented as her gaze remained on the stethoscope. She could see that Troy felt the cold metal on his skin as his face constricted into one of discomfort. Natasha took Troy's hand in hers, grasping it in hope that he'd wake up soon.

"How did he manage to survive all of that? How did he end up in hospitals before?" She added.

"Shock-induced or being surprised, afraid, or stressed. He overworked himself at a few times as well. It's a miracle he managed to pull through."

"How was Troy able to do martial arts if he had a heart condition?" Noah asked, taking his other hand.

"Mr. Carver, just because you have a heart condition doesn't mean you're not allowed to exercise. He just can't exercise as long as regular people can."

"What about his days as a traveling musician?"

"That was for two years, and they were scattered throughout. He never was admitted to a hospital on concert days, his heart seemed to be functioning properly." Noah nodded as he held Troy's hand tightly. The doctor looked to his companion. "Is everything standard?"

The companion nodded. "He's still very weak, but his heart is working well. It won't be long before he wakes up." They both left the room.

The Carvers returned their attention to Troy, who shifted around in his bed. Light shined on his eyes as they opened. "Whoa…w-where am I?" He asked as he rose to sit straight.

Natasha pushed him back down gently. "Don't try to move, dear. The doctors say you're very fragile right now."

"Mrs. Carver, where am I, exactly?" Troy asked again, very dazed and confused.

"You're in the hospital. You had a heart attack back at our house." She answered, covering Troy's hand with both of her own. Her fingers grazed the soft, smooth skin of his backhand.

Noah glanced at his mother with an awkward look. "Uh…do you feel okay, Troy?"

"Yeah, a little. Mrs. Carver, I think that's enough for the hand massages." Troy replied. Noah looked at his mother in shock; she couldn't be falling for a sixteen-year-old when she's married and has five children to care for.

Natasha looked straight into Troy's green-gray eyes with pleasure. She, instead, tightened the hold on his hand, Troy's back retreating into the hospital bed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Noah holding up his morpher, causing the gears in Troy's head to turn.

"Mrs. Carver, why don't you call my parents so that they can see me? I'd really appreciate it." Natasha nodded and skipped out of the room. Noah moved closer to his leader. "Noah, lead the team for this one. I'm in no condition to, as you can tell." Troy handed his morpher to Noah. "…For the Megazord."

"No problem, Troy. I can do this." Noah nodded in understanding as he dashed out of the room.

_~20/21~_

"Dude, Noah, the way you took Virox out was awesome!" Jake commended as he playfully slapped a hand on the Blue Ranger's shoulder.

"Yeah, that was amazing!" Emma added. Gia smirked and wrapped her arm around Noah's, earning a concerning look from Jake.

"Thanks, guys…Oh! Could you give me a second? I need to call someone." As Noah ran off, he dialed a number on his cell phone.

"_…__Hello?_" The voice on the other end asked.

"Troy? The monster of the day has been defeated." Noah stated as a conversation igniter.

"_Really? Noah, that's great! I knew I could depend on you._"

Noah blushed. "Troy…c'mon, it was one monster, but if you asked the others, it was me who took out the monster."

"_Tell me what happened._"

"Well, this monster, Virox, infected people and turned them into Loogies. Jake and I fought him while Gia and Emma quarantined the infected Loogies. The first time we faced him, Jake took the lead on fighting Virox, yet he got away. The second time, Jake was struck down, and I used the Snake Axe to finish Virox off, but not without some words of courage from Jake. We defeated him with the Gosei Great Megazord."

"_Ah. Good to know._"

"Hey, are you doing okay?"

"_Yeah, but you might wanna hurry back. Your mom…she's making me feel a bit uncomfortable, but not the way Mrs. Holling made me feel. It's like…an 'adult in love with a teenager' kind of discomfort._"

"Seriously, what is it with you and all our mothers not getting along or at least liking you as a regular person?"

"_Noah__!_"

"Sorry, Troy. It slipped out. In all seriousness, though, I'm on my way."

"..._Noah?_"

"Yeah?"

"_You're a true blue, buddy. A true blue. Thank you again for taking charge and defeating Virox in my absence._"

"Anytime, Troy. I'm on my way."

"_Bye._"

"Bye." Noah heard the line go dead and clicked his phone off. The others caught up to him.

"Who was that?" Gia asked.

"Troy. He couldn't make it to the battle because…well, come with me to the hospital and you'll find out why." Noah winked at them.

"Lead the way, 'True Blue'." The Pink Ranger giggled. Noah, with his head held high in confidence, walked off in the direction of the hospital. Gia, Jake, and Emma followed, right behind him.


	6. Lovestruck Lost

**Chapter 6: Lovestruck Lost**

It all started after he met Troy at Ernie's Brainfreeze. Jordan had never felt this way about any _boy _before. All the girls he crushed on rejected him with a sour tone, including Gia Moran and Emma Goodall, the two girls in Troy's circle of friends. There was also Noah Carver and Jake Holling, but they weren't exactly eye candy to the ladies in Harwood County High.

Troy, however, was.

It pained Jordan to see how almost every girl, including the resident 'popular girl' Natalie, came up to him and tried their best at nabbing his attention. Had he not introduced himself at Ernie's, Jordan would've dismissed Troy as a hard-to-please womanizer. Even a few boys have gone up to him and tried to flirt, but were terrible at it.

It's not Troy's fault he's handsome for his age.

Jordan, as a way to learn more about the new boy, had asked people Troy was associated with as a partner for school project. One person he found was Ella Silvano, the last person Jordan had a crush on before Troy and his current science partner.

"Jordan?" Ella whispered as he came up to her. Jordan forgot she was incredibly shy. "I-Is…there something you need?"

"Yeah, Ella, I've got a question about Troy." He blurted out.

"Troy…Burrows?" She asked.

"He's your current science partner, right? What's he like?"

"Aside from being incredibly handsome, he's the sweetest boy I have ever met. He understood that I was shy and wrote me notes that I would respond to on the same paper. He helped me through the questions I didn't understand, and…Jordan, he's just the best boy to have as any kind of friend."

Jordan nodded in acceptance. "He's 'Mister Perfect', isn't he?"

"Yes." Ella cooed softly. "Why did you ask about him, exactly?"

"I'm thinking of asking him out on a date. He's making me feel like no one else in this school is right for me _but _him!"

Ella backed away from Jordan. "Um, that's interesting. Look, Jordan, I've gotta go, okay?" She ran off before Jordan could say goodbye. He began to walk to Mr. Burley's class before his eye caught a certain someone.

Troy.

The teenager was talking to Gia about something, and Jordan could see that she was blushing _hard_. It was a simple answer, but it shocked Jordan to no end.

Gia Moran, the 'Miss Perfect' of Harwood County High School, the girl every boy wants, has a crush on the new kid.

"Uh, hey there Troy." Jordan stuttered as he blindly walked in on their conversation.

"Hi, Jordan." Troy and Gia greeted in unison.

"Um, Troy, I was wondering if…you would like to go to Ernie's Brainfreeze with me. Just the two of us as friends. Is that okay?" Jordan forced out.

Troy grinned. "Sure, why not? I'd love to go with you. When should we go?"

Jordan wrapped an arm around Troy's hip. "How about now?" He asked in a seductive tone. The boys walked off towards the mall, and Gia stood there in shock. How could Troy not realize Jordan has a gigantic crush on him?

But it wasn't the fact that Jordan was in love with Troy that bothered her. It was the way he answered Troy's question. Gia's afraid that Troy could be lured into a world that could physically, mentally, and emotionally hurt him. She's seen one too many friends go down that road, and she won't lose her leader to it, and as a final decision, Gia headed to the Brainfreeze to keep a safe eye on Troy.

_~20/21~_

"Here you go, Troy. One plain froyo." Jordan announced as he set down the treat in front of him and his 'date'. As soon as he sat down, Gia took her place at the booth, which had a perfect view of Jordan and Troy.

"So, how do you like Harwood so far?" Jordan asked, moving his hand closer to Troy's.

The boy watched this motion before he snapped out of his daze. "Oh! What? I didn't listen to what you asked..."

Jordan's shoulder touched Troy's; he was getting too close for comfort. In response, Troy scooted away.

This infuriated Jordan as he took hold of Troy's leather jacket and pulled him incredibly close, their mouths shivering. "You're not escaping from me that easily!" He roared as he passionately forced his lips onto Troy's. This emitted muffled whines from Troy and a gasp of shock and fear from Gia. She watched as Troy's eyes were shutting tighter and tighter in discomfort.

He had two episodes of discomfort with Jake's mom and Noah's mom as the Blue Ranger told her and Emma. He didn't need a third one.

"Troy!" Gia called, walking over to the table. "I was wondering if you could come with me to the park. The others called for a meeting."

The kiss broke off with Jordan looking aggravated and Troy sighing in relief. "I'm right behind you, Gia." The Red Ranger stated as he and the Yellow Ranger left hand-in-hand.

Troy looked down. "Why the hand-holding?"

Gia smirked and winked at him. "Precautionary measure."

As the two exited the Brainfreeze, Jordan watched in anger and envy. Gia spied on them and took Troy away before Jordan could relinquish his true feelings to him, another crush possibly slipping out of his fingers.

No, that won't happen again.

Jordan recounted the small moment he kissed Troy. He tasted good; any girl or boy would be lucky to have him around them. That was exactly what Jordan wanted, to have Troy be his and his _only._

He knew one person who could help him out, and he left the Brainfreeze for his house.

"You'll be mine, Troy." Jordan whispered to himself as he briskly walked on. "You'll be mine."

**A/N: This is how Jordan will be portrayed in the series. No if's, and's, but's, or why's, _especially_ why's.**


	7. The Meetings

**Chapter 7: The Meetings**

"Gia, where are we going?!" Troy asked the Yellow Ranger as he felt like his arm was going to be ripped off. She stopped at the Harwood Park and sat down on the closest bench, gesturing for Troy to sit next to her.

"Troy," Gia began, taking his hands in hers. "It's about Jordan…well, it seems like he has an unhealthy crush on you."

Troy gave her a look of confusion.

Gia blinked rapidly. "It seems like he wants to harm you in order to win you over, as stupid as that sounds, and I just want to protect you from it. I've had many of my friends be swept away by this boy or girl who ends up abusing them, and I don't want to lose you and the other two boys."

"What about Emma?"

"We're there for each other, so we don't really need to…" She trailed off, looking away from Troy.

"Gia, is everything okay?" She sniffed a bit, turned to Troy, and nodded rapidly. Troy, not believing her answer, moved his hand to her face, his thumb wiping away the tears forming in her light green eyes. "Gia, you can tell me what's wrong."

"Well, I used to date this boy named Garrett, and his best friend Brendan dated Emma. While Garrett really cared for me, Brendan didn't feel that way about Emma. Sometimes, Garrett would leave my house on his phone, and while I thought it was his family calling, it was Brendan; they both ganged up and abused Emma. I saw her coming out of the bathroom once with messy hair, wrinkled clothes, bruises, and scars. I immediately sent Emma to the nurse and reported it to the principal. During a conference that was held between us and the school police, Emma spilled all the beans on Garrett and Brendan, and the two were instantly arrested."

"So, what happened afterwards?" Troy asked, moving closer to Gia. He took her hand in his, and Gia responded with a smile.

"We visited our boyfriends and broke up with them. While Emma was firm yet gentle on Brendan with the news, I wasn't. I called Garrett out for being a dirty liar and yelled at him for aiding in Emma's assaults. He, in turn, broke up with me a worthless, conniving, and shallow ditz who no boy should be with."

"What a stupid thing to say. You definitely deserve to be with a boy, Gia, but the _right_ boy. I'm sure he'll come around." Troy commented, side-hugging her.

"Please tell me you don't mean Jake." Gia pleaded.

"Trust me, I don't." Gia began to open her mouth. "I don't mean Noah either. What I mean is that sometime in your life, you'll meet a great boy who will knock you off your feet, and I'm sure I'll meet a great girl too."

"Maybe…it's…you." Gia whispered loud enough for Troy to hear.

"W-What?"

"Troy, maybe that boy is you. Maybe you're the guy that'll knock me off my feet."

"Gia, I-I don't know, maybe…but we should wait it out, see if anyone else interests us. If someone does sweep us away, then we be with that person. If not, we could…you know…"

Gia nodded. "And what if one of us has our sights set on someone?"

"The other waits until a break-up or they find the one for them. There's no point in longing for someone when they're already in a relationship."

"Okay then. It's a deal!" Gia concluded as she and Troy shook hands in agreement.

The Red Ranger stood up, dusted himself off, and offered Gia his hand. "May I walk you home, milady?"

"You may, good sir." Gia giggled as she took Troy's hand and walked home with him.

_~20/21~_

Jordan gazed upon the dark green, two-story house. '_This is the place. This is Garrett's house._' He thought to himself. He walked up to the deep black door, and a boy with scruffy blonde hair answered the door. He was wearing a dirty white shirt along with matching pajama bottoms. The boy took a slurp of black soda and belched.

"Can I help…Jordan?" The teenager asked.

"Garrett, it's you?" Jordan looked around. "Is anyone else here?"

"Just me and my folks. Brendan and I were released at the same time, but he was sent back to prison after he killed his folks."

"Why'd he do that?"

"They shunned and disowned him. My family will take him in, and he should be out in two weeks tops. Come in, though!" Garrett let Jordan enter his dark, disheveled, and dirty house. The two boys traveled to the kitchen and sat at the kitchen table, which was surprisingly clean.

"So what's up?" Garrett asked.

"Um, well, I came to you with a relationship problem. You see, I like this guy…"

"You like a guy?! Jordan!"

"Dude, hear me out! This guy is incredibly pretty, very good-looking for his age. He's the new kid over at Harwood High."

"Oh, I think I know who you're talking about. My sister keeps on gushing about how he's 'the best science partner ever' and how cute he is."

"Your sister?" Jordan asked.

"Yeah, my sister, Ella? Ella Silvano?"

"She's related to you?!" Jordan's mouth was agape.

"We adopted her when I was two. She's a year younger than me…aren't we talking about your man crush?"

Jordan turned away, blushing. "R-Right. Well, his name is Troy Burrows. He's sixteen, and he just moved here."

"Okay. Is he dating anyone?"

"No, but I caught him talking to…your ex."

Garrett slammed his fists on the table and rose from his chair. "That blonde piece of nothing is making a move on the boy of your dreams?!"

"Yeah…" Jordan felt the jealousy rise inside of him. "While I had a 'date' with Troy, she spied on us and took him away!"

"I can't believe…wait, you had a date with Troy already? What do you need me for?" Garrett asked.

"Hear me out on this. I asked him to join me for froyos at Ernie's, and when he scooted away from me, I violently pulled him in for a passionate kiss, but that's when Gia came in and took Troy away from me."

"Hmm…Jordan?"

"Yeah?"

"Get me some fresh clothes. Garrett Silvano is returning to Harwood High for one final escapade." As Jordan ran up the stairs, Clayton took out a picture of Brendan. "Don't worry, I'll pay your ex a visit, but after I visit mine. Those two girls will regret what they've done to us."


	8. Garrett Rides Again

**Chapter 8: Garrett Rides Again**

Everyone moved aside for him. They feared him. They knew of his reputation in prison for assault done to Emma Goodall, and they wanted to stay alive.

Jordan followed Garrett closely. He knew that the juvenile was going to find Gia, and possibly Emma, but what he was truly afraid of was the possibility of Garrett hurting Troy if he defended Gia from him.

Just his luck that Troy and Gia were talking with one another. Garrett tugged on Jordan's shirt to snap him out of his daze.

"Is that Troy over there? The boy talking to that yellow ditz?" He asked.

"Y-Yeah, that's Troy. That's Ella's science partner." As the boys walked closer to him and Gia, Garrett managed to see a full view of Troy's face.

Jordan was right; he _is_ cute for his age.

And just as Troy closed his eyes to laugh at something Gia said, Garrett made his move.

"Didja miss me, Gia? 'Cause I missed you." He whispered in her ear, and Gia stood in a frozen state of shock. That couldn't be Garrett who whispered into her ear, it just couldn't. She turned in fear and jumped back a bit.

"G-Garrett?!" Gia gasped. Troy could only look with wide eyes. "But, you were arrested for assaulting Emma! You shouldn't be here in Harwood High!"

Garrett took hold of her arm and slammed it onto a locker door. "I got out for good behavior, but when Brendan gets out, you and that pink treehugger will feel our wrath, and it'll _hurt_."

"Hey," Troy began stepping in front of Gia. "Leave her alone."

"Don't tell me what to do!" Garrett slammed Troy's shoulder into a top locker door. The boy felt something pop loudly inside of him and his arm sagged a bit. Gia grasped Garrett's arm before he could deal damage to the other shoulder.

"Don't hurt him!" She shouted, punching Garrett in his nose. He fell to the ground, and that was when Jordan went into defense mode.

"Gia, what the heck?!" He grabbed a handful of her blonde hair and yanked her down a bit. She grunted in pain.

"Jordan, stop it! Don't hurt Gia! She didn't do anything wrong!" Troy defended Gia as he tried to be rid of the dislocated shoulder.

"Yeah right! You're supposed to be mine, Troy! Not Gia's, mine!" Jordan slammed Gia's head into the hard white tile and she fell unconscious from the force, blood spilling from her head. Troy watched the blood spread in fear before Jordan shoved him into a locker door.

Garrett got up to see Gia on the ground. He held his nose. "Not bad, Jordan."

"I can do better." Troy felt himself hit the floor hard as well, knocking him out with a bloody head that could lead to a concussion. His arm was still sagging a bit with the dislocated shoulder.

"Wow, I wouldn't think you could knock out your crush like that!" Garrett remarked.

"It makes him easier to drag off. Come on, we have a boy to win over." Jordan took both of Troy's legs into his hands and pulled him away from a downed Gia, smeared blood creating a trail from there to the exit door.

_~20/21~_

"Gia! Gia!" A voice cried, shaking her. "Gia, wake up! Where's Troy?!"

The Yellow Ranger came to as her eyes took in Emma. She then remembered what had happened earlier as she sat up on the health office bed. "Em, Garrett's out of prison. He and Jordan attacked me and Troy earlier. I was knocked out, so I don't really know what happened to Troy."

Emma's breathing quickened. "Oh no! Gia, he can't be free!"

"Better him than Brendan."

"Well..." Gia began to get up from the bed, cutting Emma off. She touched her head and felt the roughness of the gauze wrapped around the injury. Gia sighed; it shouldn't be like this in the slightest.

"Emma, we have to find Troy." She stated.

"Gia, I..."

"We have to find Troy."

"But..."

"_We have to find Troy!_" Gia hissed loudly at her. "If Garrett and Jordan have teamed up, it could spell disaster not only for Troy, but for everyone."

Emma sighed before getting up from the plastic chair. "Where do you think they would take Troy?"

Gia turned to her and smirked. "A place where no one would hear him scream."

_~20/21~_

"Whoa, w-where am I?" Troy asked, moaning. The room was dark, and a single light was shining above him. It was blinding him as he stared into the lamp from his laying position.

"Hello?" He called out. "Anyone out there that can hear me?" There was no answer.

"Garrett?" Still no answer, and that worried Troy if one of his kidnappers didn't respond to his call.

He had one final person. "...Jordan?!"

"Troy, you're awake. Good." Jordan emerged from the shadows with cloth in his hand. "Now, we can play."

Troy tried to sit up, but cold metal chains restrained him to a bed. Feeling the cold, he looked down to see he was shirtless. As Jordan came closer, he realized what was going to happen.

"Jordan, please! Have mercy!"

"Nope." He was proceeding to get on top of him. "You're going to be mine, Troy Burrows, whether you like it or not."

As the cloth covered his eyes, Troy felt hands move around his bare chest and proceeded to scream out for help, and when he felt something warm and wet touch his skin, he knew Jordan was giving himself pleasure.

Garrett watched from a corner. "This is interesting. Maybe Jordan could upgrade his actions a bit..." Tossing a black duffel bag towards the bed, he saw Jordan pull out a few select items. Garrett covered his ears as Troy let out a piercing, agonizing scream before the victim's world truly went black.


	9. Rescue Red

**Chapter 9: Rescue Red**

It had only been a day since Troy's 'kidnapping', as Emma put it. The girls were nowhere near close to finding him, and a worried Emma pestered a determined Gia every moment she got to.

"What if he was killed?" She would ask. "What if they ran out of state with him? What about out of the country?!" During one search through the park, she was fed up.

"EMMA!" Gia cried.

"…Y-Yes?"

"Please stop thinking about Troy's disappearance possibilities! I can't take it anymore!" Gia fell to her knees, her fingers buried into her blonde curls. Emma could hear whines.

"Gia…" She knelt down. "I didn't mean to make you upset. I was never really cast into this kind of position before, and I…couldn't control myself. I'm sorry."

"Em…While I am upset with your constant worrying, I'm really upset over not finding Troy. For all we know, they could've handed him over to the Warstar…"

"Please don't start." Emma giggled a bit before helping Gia to her feet. "Hey, maybe his parents know that he hasn't returned home! Maybe we could talk to them!"

"Emma, they don't know who we are."

"Well, maybe Troy told them about us? Noah told me they know who Jake is, and he met them after we left Troy's hospital room."

"Maybe…" Gia paused and began to speed-walk to the Burrows residence, Emma trailing behind her. The Yellow Ranger knew one thing about Garrett, and she was determined to see if he left his print.

_~20/21~_

"How long has he been out?" Garrett asked as Jordan proceeded to take his shirt off.

"A day. After you left, he woke up in a hard sweat. I was still on top of him, and when I got myself going again, he jumped around the bed. His chest was heaving up into the air while he was grunting, but he remained quiet afterward." Jordan replied, running a hand down his stomach.

"Are you getting ready for 'Day Two' with your little sex toy?" Garrett smirked. He hadn't thought about doing that with Gia, nor Brendan with Emma. Seeing how Jordan was screwing with Troy made him warm on the inside, and he wished he came up with that idea ages ago.

"Sex toy? What's that?" Jordan asked.

"Well… a sex toy is someone or something you get horny with for your entertainment. They either love it as much as you or hate it to where you love them in sexual discomfort that you want more. It turns into a daily routine."

"Oh, then Troy is my sex toy, then." Jordan entered the room where he was with Troy and saw his mate was still unconscious. His position on the bed didn't change at all, and Jordan felt a pang of worry; he wouldn't want to think about Troy possibly being dead. Garrett patted his shoulder, and he forgot about everything. _And I should go play with it._ He thought.

All he wanted was Troy, and Troy was what he'll get.

Jordan walked over and placed his body over Troy's, planting a soft kiss on his lips. He moved down to the boy's bare chest, kissing it a bit before moving back to the lips. To Jordan, Troy tasted like heaven. And he wanted more of that taste.

Jordan's fingers ran through Troy's coif as he was planting longer and sweeter kisses. He never made any sort of reaction, and it fueled Jordan's lust. He licked his lips as his tongue was doing its job on Troy's neck. It was replaced with a pair of wet lips. Jordan moved up and down Troy's neck before settling on his chest.

Jordan was saving the upper chest for last. He remembered that.

His small lips traveled to Troy's abdomen, the chiseled features coated over. Garrett, from where he was watching, could've swore he heard Jordan moan in pleasure.

It pained him.

"God, Jordan…" Garrett grunted through gritted teeth. "You're making me want to get in on that action myself. And I think I will…"

_~20/21~_

"Gia! Gia, slow down!" Emma shouted at her best friend. The girls were walking through a neighborhood with quaint two-story houses that had beautiful recreations on their front yards. Gia had spotted this area a few times. It was the Autumn Hills neighborhood, and while it wasn't a living area you'd kill to live in like the classy Ambrosia Heights neighborhood, it was the most sought after for the middle/upper class.

Gia spotted Troy's house instantly, as she would walk by and wave to his mother when the instance arises. It was a gray color, and smooth-carved stones were set around the windows. The porch was made from cream-colored planks, and a patio table was set on it. A tree with red and orange leaves was planted near the center of their squared front yard, cut in half by a smooth walkway to the porch. One side was a perfect square, hosting a red/orange leafed birch tree. The other side was more like a perfect rectangle, and a row of red poppies rested next to the side of the porch floor. The windows were lined with white panels, and the door was a shiny brown.

Stepping onto the porch, Gia saw the hanging porch light off, and she wondered if they weren't home. Emma moved her aside and tried to look into the divided semicircle window of the door, but could only see a little bit of the interior along with wood.

"Em, it's clear that we have to knock to see if they're home." Gia stated as she gently knocked on the door. They could hear feet slamming on the ground as a man with thick, buzz-cut brown hair and hazel eyes looked at the girls.

"Can I help you ladies?" He asked.

"Um, we're wondering if this is the home of Troy Burrows…" Emma began, backing away a bit.

"Yes, this is his house. I'm his father; Lieutenant Nathan Burrows, but you can call me Nate." Nate outstretched his hand, and both Gia and Emma shook it. "What are your names?"

"Gia." She replied.

"Emma." She smiled before asking, "Lieutenant? You're in the army?"

"Air Force. I work over at the Harwood Air Base."

"That's great." Gia deadpanned. "But listen, did you see your son come home last night?"

"N-No…I didn't." Nate replied. "Girls, come in."

As they stepped into the house, Nate pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. "A boy came by yesterday and gave this note to me. He told me that I should read it as soon as possible, but I never got around to." He gave it to Gia.

"This is a ransom note. That boy who came by yesterday kidnapped your son with a male accomplice." She told him.

"I didn't see that guy at all." Nate responded. "It was just him and that note."

"Troy's in danger, I can guarantee that. That note boy helped the accomplice kidnap him, and they're hurting him as we speak." Emma added to Gia's comment. Nate made a choked sigh and sat down on the sleek black couch in the living room. He ran his hand through his hair as he let out a second choked sigh.

"I just wanted him to be safe when we moved here. He never moved out of Toronto when I was stationed places, and now that our family has ventured into a new country, I wanted to make sure Troy would be secure here like he was back in Toronto. I guess that was a failure."

"Nate, I'm sure Troy's okay. He's a strong boy." Emma placed a hand on Nate's broad shoulder before she was pulled away by Gia.

"I'm going to Garrett's house to rescue Troy. You stay here with Nate and comfort him." As Gia left, Emma sat down next to Troy's father, hugging him as he began to cry.

_~20/21~_

Two hours had passed since Jordan started his session of pleasure, and Troy wasn't moving or showing any emotion the entire time. Garrett had come over to throw himself into the mix, but Jordan stopped teasing Troy's nipples and shoved him back.

"Hey! What was that for?!" Garrett asked in anger.

"Troy's mine!" Jordan covered Troy's body with his own, shooting a protective glare at Garrett.

"Dude, don't act like this! When Brendan and Emma were an item, he let me hurt her with him! Why are you getting so touchy-touchy over Troy?"

"This love is one I truly feel, not like those petty crushes I had way back when. If I let someone play with my toy, they feel my wrath."

"I don't care! You're lavishing Troy with all the love you can muster, and it's making me itch for a piece of him!" Garrett pointed at Troy. "And I always get what I want."

"_You won't this time!_" The boys turned to see the Yellow Ranger run down the stairs of Garrett's basement, her Tiger Claw equipped. Jordan and Garrett, both shirtless, back away from the bed and from her.

"Y-Yellow Ranger! We didn't mean to…" Jordan trailed off, thinking of why she came down here.

"You're harming an innocent human being! You think I'm not going to try and save him from his attackers?"

"W-Well…" Garrett began.

"You two are like Loogies; you go around and harm people who've done nothing wrong, nevertheless anything to you. The police and paramedics are already coming, so trying to flee from your spot is the worst idea you could make." Gia smirked in victory behind her helmet; if Garrett and Jordan are going to jail, then Troy could be safe from any kind of harm. She watched as the policemen cuffed the boys and led them upstairs, to their cop cars. As the medics were freeing Troy and rushing him to the hospital, Gia demorphed and pulled her phone out, texting Emma.

"_Troy's going to the hospital again, and Garrett and Jordan are going behind bars. Mission accomplished._"

_~20/21~_

"When you mentioned how Troy was a strong boy…" Nate began, looking through a photo album. "It made me think of his heart defect."

Emma nodded in understanding. "It must've been hard knowing your only child could slip away from you whenever his heart decides to."

"Y-Yeah. It sucked. Trisha, Troy's mother, had to work long hours at the office. I had my job at the base in a different province, so Troy stayed by himself a lot. Our neighbor checked on him, and I almost always got calls from him saying Troy was going to the hospital after having a heart attack." Nate's voice became more sorrowful as he looked over a picture of a five-year-old Troy. "I hated it, and you know how hard it was raising him with the defect. I wish he never got that kind of defect in the first place, then he wouldn't be suffering as much. Do you know how many times I just wanted to end it for Troy?!"

Emma blinked in surprise. "W-What?!"

"I couldn't stand to see another machine hooked up to him. I didn't want to even stand in a hospital at any time. And every time I look at pictures where Troy had a sincere smile, I can't help but cry over how much pain and ache he feels when his heart screws with him. I hate it, Emma, I hate it!"

"Then you're gonna feel something now." She responded, holding her phone. "We have to go there, Nate. Whether you like it or not, your son needs you _now_, and we haven't got time to waste."


	10. A Little Sparkle

**Chapter 10: A Little Sparkle**

**A/N: I don't own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.**

Bright lights. Bright, sterile lights were present in the hospital. It surrounded everyone as doctors rushed down the halls with beds, trays, or shelves. Families came and went as known; visiting the sick loved ones or to drop something off. As everyone moved around, that same bright white enveloped them. It left a mark on everyone, and the small girl noted this.

_It touches everybody. That's neat that a place like a hospital can leave it's footprint on so many things. I wish I could do that._

As she pondered this, two doctors rolled a hospital bed into her room. She hid behind her long blonde hair in shyness, her bright blue eyes gazing upon the teenage boy in the bed. He didn't look like he was awake…or even alive.

"How's his condition?" A doctor, the one she had named Cleft out of affection, asked his partner. Cleft was her doctor, and the guy he was talking to must be the boy's doctor.

"Stable, thankfully. When the medics rushed him over, he looked as if he was comatose." The other doctor replied.

"Is he?" Cleft asked.

The other doctor shook his head. "Not now, anyway. When those two boys held him against his will and screwed with him, he was. If it weren't for the Yellow Ranger, he'd probably die there."

"God bless her, whoever she is under that helmet." Cleft chuckled, his chin cutting through the air.

"How do you know the person is a she? Maybe that could be a guy in a skirt."

"Owen, don't say something like that!" Cleft nudged his head towards the little girl.

"Oh, right. Sorry."

"He should be waking up soon, though. That should be good." Owen concluded. As he waited for Cleft at the doorway, he went to the little girl.

"Okay, Averi, that boy over there is your roommate. He's going to be your new friend, okay?" The girl nodded. "He's not mean, I promise. Be nice to him when he wakes up; his heart's very weak." Cleft then left her and the unconscious boy alone.

_Is Cleft telling the truth?_ Averi questioned to herself, pulling a small purple pony with wings and a unicorn horn in her arms. _Is this boy actually a nice person? Or is he a meanie…like my big sister?_

"Mmm." Averi was snapped out of her thoughts as she looked at the boy, who was shifting uncomfortably in his hospital bed. His eyes opened to the white tile ceiling, and glancing around, he laid his eyes on Averi.

"Oh, hello there." He greeted, waving his hand a bit.

"Don't do that." Her soft yet high-pitched voice snapped. The boy looked at her in shock.

"Your doctor said your heart is weak."

"Are you…worried?" The boy asked slowly.

"Y-Yeah, I am. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. You were only looking out for me, and I appreciate that. Thank you."

Averi smiled wide, crawling out of bed. Holding onto her plushie, she climbed into the boy's bed, her head resting on his shoulder.

She looked up at him. "My name is Averi. I'm eight years old."

The boy looked down at her and smiled. "My name is Troy. I'm sixteen."

"You're as old as my sister…but you're nicer." Averi mumbled the latter of the sentence, but Troy picked it up.

"What do you mean? Do you not like your sister?"

"No! Ever since she started biting down on these white sticks, putting some powder up her nose, and injecting some liquid into her arm, she's been a total meanie!"

"She's been doing drugs? That's a shame." Troy commented, gently resting his head on hers.

"Yeah. I'd rather have you as a big brother than Jenna as a mean big sister." Averi admitted, pulling the purple pony closer to her.

"Jenna? Is that her name?"

"Yeah."

"Then, who's this?" Averi saw that Troy was looking at her plush. She smiled.

"Her name is Twilight Sparkle, the Alicorn Princess of Friendship. She's been with me for a long time, and she's helping me through my cancer."

"Oh." Troy's expression dropped slightly. "What kind of cancer?"

"Lung." Averi answered, situating herself for comfort. "I once took in my sister's smoke, and my parents rushed me here. A few months later, I fell over and when I was taken here again, I was told that I have lung cancer. I've lived here ever since then. What about you?"

"I have a heart condition that was around since the moment I was born. I've been in and out of hospitals since I was a little boy due to heart attacks, palpitations, and clogging in my arteries." Averi nodded in understanding, even though she only knew what a heart attack was.

"When was your first heart attack, Troy?" He fell silent. That one was a deadly one, and while some life-threatening attacks have popped up, his first one was the one that not only started that trend, but it had him, his mother, and his father in a pickle of worry and confusion. It was when everyone had no idea what to do…

"Well, it was a day in January 2001, and my mommy and daddy were getting ready to leave for work…"

_The date was January 23rd, 2001. A younger Trisha and Nathan were dressing themselves for the winter. Trisha was going to her job at the accounting office in downtown Toronto, and Nathan was going to an air base that had yet to be known to the couple's young son._

_"Troyler, we're leaving!" Trisha shouted, her voice going up the stairs. Nothing was reciprocated back to her. Seeing another shout to him would be pointless, Trisha rushed upstairs and into her son's room. Troyler was curled up in his thick, soft red blanket. His face was half-buried into the red pillow, and his breathing was abnormally slow. _

_"Baby, wake up." Trisha whispered, shaking him gently. "Troy, it's the morning. We're going to work." The boy's tiny hand then gripped his mother's shirt tightly. His emerald eyes looked at Trisha, who pulled him into her arms. She could feel her son's fresh tears on her gray trench-coat; he must've had a nightmare._

_"Oh, Troy, it's okay." She patted his back as his continued to cry into her coat. She pulled him off and wiped his tears with her thumb, fixing his red pajama shirt and pants. Pulling Troy into her arms, Trisha made her way out of the room and down the stairs to the kitchen._

_"Ah-hah, hey there Troyler!" Nathan greeted eagerly, kissing the boy's forehead. Trisha placed Troy into his father's arms, and Nathan set him down onto the couch. "Okay, Troy, we're going to work now. Alfie's gonna check up on you while we're gone. Be a good boy for him and for us, okay?"_

_Troy nodded slowly. "Okay, daddy. I will."_

_"That's my boy!" Nathan exclaimed in happiness, ruffling his child's hair._

_Trisha rolled her eyes playfully. "Alright, Nate, that's enough." Pulling her husband away, she knelt down at Troy. "Okay, baby, can I trust you'll get dressed while we're gone?"_

_Nate rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, Trish. This isn't the first time we've left Troy alone in the house."_

_Trish ignored him. "You gotta promise me, okay?" She held out her pinky._

_Troy took hold and locked himself in a pinky promise. "I promise, mommy."_

_"Good." Trisha kissed him on the cheek. She then looked down at her watch. "Ooh, we gotta go. Bye, Troy! Be good and be safe!" She waved to him. Troy waved back until the door closed behind his parents._

_Knowing his parents wouldn't return until dinner, Troy climbed onto the couch and turned on the TV. A cartoon popped onto the screen, and he made himself comfortable. Only an hour passed until the Burrows' neighbor, Alphonse, came into the house._

_"Troy!" He shouted at the boy. "You're okay!"_

_"Alfie!" He replied back, waving. "Yeah, I'm okay. It's only been an hour."_

_"I know, kid, but a lot of things can happen in an hour." Alfie stated. "Hey, what are you watching?"_

_"A cartoon. I like it a lot." The boy answered, smiling. _

_"A cartoon, eh? Let me see how good it is." The young adult challenged as he took his seat next to the five-year-old. They both watched the cartoon together._

_A second hour passed and Alfie had gone to his house, seeing that everything was in order and Troy was safe. Thank goodness for that._

_As the same cartoon played (it was a marathon), Troy found himself to be hungry. He climbed off of the couch and stumbled into the kitchen. On the way, he tripped over the crease that separated the wood floor of the living room and the tile of the kitchen. The boy's chest slammed into the tile hard, and Troy was on his knees, clutching it. He took wheezing breaths as he tried to recover from the pain that was ringing in his chest. It subsided…for now._

_Getting back to his feet, Troy climbed up the counter door and situated himself on the granite top. He opened the wall cabinet in front of him and pulled out a box of crackers. Putting a cardboard flap between his teeth, Troy climbed back down the counter and ran to the living room. _

_But he stopped midway out of the dining room area of the kitchen._

_The box dropped out of his tiny hands, crackers spilling out. The same ringing pain in his chest came back, but it seemed…different. Troy grabbed at his chest once again as everything started to blur in his line of vision. He began to stumble around like a drunk man, taking in big and quick breaths._

_What was happening? Why was he feeling like this? How can he make it stop?_

_The pain overwhelmed him; it consumed Troy whole. As his eyes shut tightly in pain, he fell to his knees before falling over on his side, dead to the world as of the moment._

_Only a few minutes passed until Alfie came back into the Burrows' household. He was holding a gift bag._

_"Troy, I've got a gift for you." He stated as he looked through the white tissue paper. "I won't be able to make your birthday party since I'll be on a four-month business trip come February, so I figured I should give you the gift now." Looking up, he saw no child sitting on the couch._

_"Troy?" He called out. "Troy, are you here? It's me, Alfie! You don't have to hide!" No response was made._

_"You wanna play hard to get, eh? Nice try, Troy, but I'm the master of that game." Running up the stairs, Alfie checked every room before looking into Troy's room. No one was in any of the rooms, and Alfie began to be in a state of worry._

_"Oh man, your parents are gonna kill me if I don't find you. Where are you, Troy?" He whispered to himself. The last place to check was the kitchen/dining room. What he saw shocked him to his core, and he hoped the boy was still alive._

_"TROY!" He cried, shaking the unresponsive child. Troy then fell onto his back, and Alfie noted the calm expression, the softly-closed eyes, and the way he held onto his shirt in such a tight grip. "Troy, wake up! Please!" He tried again before pulling the child into his arms._

_"Okay, okay, don't panic Alphonse." He assured himself. "I can just…call the hospital! Yes!" Cradling Troy in one arm, his other dialed a phone number and held the phone to his ear._

_"What's your emergency?" The lady on the other end asked._

_"I need an ambulance. I was taking care of my neighbor's child, and I found him on the ground unconscious."_

_"Alright. What's the address of your location, sir…?"_

"…Wow. You were five years old when you had your first heart attack?" Averi asked in shock.

"Yeah. When I woke up in the hospital, I saw my parents there holding both of my hands. Daddy looked worried and Mommy was ready to cry."

"How'd they get there before you came to?" The little girl asked, holding Twilight closer.

"I was told that Alfie called my mom, and she called my dad. They both nearly passed the speed limit just to get to me."

"They must love you a lot."

"They do; I'm their only child."

"You're lucky! I wish I was an only child…then my parents would visit me more."

"Averi." Troy began, their eyes locking together. "Just because your family doesn't visit you here twenty four-seven doesn't mean they love you less than Jenna. It just means they can't make it."

"How do you know? Did your parents ever not see while you were in hospitals?"

"Yes, that's happened to me. A few were due to their jobs, and one was because of the hospital's visiting rules." Averi sunk down into the bed a bit feeling guilty and ashamed of herself.

"Oh…I didn't mean to yell at you again, Troy. I'm sorry."

"I forgive you." The boy smiled before gently kissing the top of her head. Averi turned his small, hanging television on and saw that her favorite cartoon was on; the one where Twilight is from.

"Do you mind if I watch from your TV?" She asked.

"Depends. Do you mind if I watch it with you?" Troy asked back, and Averi nodded. Her head rested on his shoulder, and his head gently rested on her win as they both watched the cartoon together as not just roommates, but friends.

**A/N: I'd really like to thank you guys for over 1,000 views on this story! It means so much that what I enjoy doing, which is writing stories, is being known here, and I couldn't be happier. I love that everyone's taking a peek/chance at this story. Thanks for all of the reviews, favs, and follows, and I'd love to see all three continuing. I hope all readers enjoy the many chapters to come in this story, because it's not over yet! I may be repeating myself, but thank you all so much for over 1,000 views! : D**


	11. The Transplant

**Chapter 11: The Transplant**

An hour had passed since Troy woke up in the hospital, and Nate had wondered why they weren't at the hospital sooner.

"So you're feeling okay?" He asked his son, placing his hand over his son's. "Nothing gone wrong with your heart?"

"Well, it aches a bit, but I'm feeling fine. No need to worry." Troy answered, smiling. Gia felt a pang of sad relief hit her. She was overjoyed that Troy was okay, but she couldn't help but feel like this was the beginning for a long road of heartache, no pun intended.

"So, Troy, make any new friends?" Emma teased. Troy rolled his eyes casually but nodded contently.

"I did befriend a cancer patient named Averi. She's my roommate here, but she's in operation right now."

"Really?" Gia asked in intrigue, sitting on the bed. "How old is she?"

"Eight. Don't panic over it, Gia." Troy whispered the latter part to her.

"Well, that's very sweet of you to befriend a little girl who has cancer. That gives her hope to fight on, knowing she's befriended a beautiful and brilliant boy." Nate complimented.

"Aw, Dad. You don't have to flatter me." Troy blushed in embarrassment. Nate only chuckled as Emma felt herself being pulled into the hall.

"Gia, what's up? Troy's okay now, and his offenders are set for trial." Emma asked, setting a reminder.

"It's just…seeing Troy in here for the second time concerns me. What if we lose him due to his defect? How can we fight without our leader there?"

"The medical technology today is very advanced. Maybe the hospital can give him some chip-like item to help him." Emma recommended to cheer her best friend up.

Gia turned around and sighed glumly. "I just feel like this is the start of a tough road, and the destination will be brutal."

"Gia…"

"No, Emma, I'm confident of my feelings. Something awful will happen down the road, and it'll shake the team to its core. I'm not saying it could be Troy dying, but it certainly has to do with _this_." Gia pointed at her chest, the area where her heart is.

"I don't think you're crazy, but I'm going to take this with a grain of salt. It seems too good to be true, but it's possible to happen in the near-future. Now come on, we should be back inside the room."

As the girls walked in, they saw Nate stricken with a mix of shock and fear. Troy was looking at the nurse in the room with wide eyes.

"You're, you're kidding." Nathan stated, shaking in his loafers. "A…heart transplant?"

"Yes, Mr. Burrows." The nurse calmly answered before she was interrupted by Gia.

"What's going on here?" She asked, thinking of one question: _Was this it? Was this what will shake the team up?_

"The hospital is asking permission to switch my son's heart with some druggee's."

"Not some druggee, Mr. Burrows. Averi's sister, Jenna. She was rushed here after an episode of heart failure a half an hour ago. Averi's with her now, in the bed next to her sister."

"Wow. Troy, are you really gonna go through with this?" Emma asked in worry. "We could lose you…"

"I'd rather make Averi happy than to deny the transplant." Troy looked at the nurse. "Tell the doctor I'll go through with the operation."

"But Troy!" Nate began, but his son shushed him.

"Alright." The nurse opened the door. "He's doing it!"

Two burly men then rolled Troy, who was moved into a wheelchair by them, out of the room and towards the operation room. It was only Gia, Emma, and Nathan left in the room. The man leaned against the door column and slid down to the floor.

"Hey, you okay?" Gia asked, her and Emma sitting on their knees. "Worried about Troy?"

"No and yes!" Nate screeched. "Knowing what happens in transplants, people are _killed_. I don't want my only child on the dead list."

"It'll be okay. Troy's strong; I'm sure the operation will go smoothly." Emma placed a hand on Nate's shoulder, and he returned a sad smile.

"Hey, does your wife know?" Gia asked, skeptical. The man looked at her with nervous eyes.

"O-Oh, yeah. She's…coming." The girls looked at him, their expression showing disbelief. "Oh, alright. She doesn't know. Trisha thinks I can't properly care for Troy due to how my personality was back then. I was laid-back and nonchalant about things, even Troy's defect. With what is going on now, I regret my actions of the past."

"You're taking action for your ailing son? I didn't expect you to be so…uncaring of Troy's condition when he was little." Emma was taken aback as she spoke. "But it's in the past. Now that you're here, you're gonna do what you can to support Troy as he goes through this."

"Now, call your wife and tell her to rush over here." Gia pulled out Nathan's phone and slapped it into his hand.

"But…" Nathan began.

"Your son is now hanging by a thread in an operation, and you're not even considering having the woman who gave birth to him over to support him. I'm shocked that this is how your marriage works."

"Shut up." The man snapped as he dialed a number. "Trisha, um…" As he spoke to his wife, Gia was nudged by Emma in congratulations.

_~20/21~_

"Okay, Troy, no need to worry. The operation will go smoothly." A doctor assured the boy, putting on a pair of blue gloves. Troy nodded as he looked into the large overhead light above him. He was laying on a cold metal table as doctors completely surround him. While he showed a face of courage, he felt a deep pit of fear that he won't make it out alive.

"Okay, calm down, Jenna." A nurse tried coaxing a teenage girl, who was throwing a form of a hissy fit, as a second table was wheeled into the room. "This won't hurt you. You'll get a new heart, we'll make sure it works, and then you can go home."

"No way am I going through with this crazy operation!" Jenna screamed as she was restrained to the table. She took a quick glance at Troy. "And I'm not going to be stuck next to this loser!"

"Hey…" Troy interrupted her before he was also restrained to the table.

Jenna took a good look at Troy. "Oh, you're the kid that was kidnapped by that blockhead, Jordan. I should've known I'd be next to the slut."

"I'll have you know I didn't want to go with him." Troy objected strongly. "He knocked me out and dragged me off."

"That's what all sluts say; it's their weak alibi." Jenna laughed. "You're just lucky my parents don't know about 'you'."

Troy rolled his eyes as a mask with a connected tube was placed over his mouth and nose. A strange gas was emitted from it, and Troy could feel himself slipping as his eyes closed.

"Get that thing away from me!" Jenna screamed. Doctors restrained her as the anesthetic knocked her out as well.

"Okay, now listen." The head doctor told three men that were removing Troy's heart. "The second you get the heart out of its place, I want you to do anything you can _that's legal _to keep the boy alive."

"Are you sure? This is the first _live_ transplant, and what if we can't maintain his health while he's heartless?" One doctor asked.

"Then you're gonna break the news to his parents and tell them it's your fault he slipped."

"…I'll save him, sir. I swear."

"Good, and after the hearts are switched, rush him back to his room and restore it. Got it?"

"Right!" The three chanted.

The doctor closest to the cart carefully then lifted the organ out of Troy's body and gently laid it on the cart. As the two others kept Troy at the state of unconscious, the cart was wheeled over as quickly and safely as possible. The doctors dealing with Jenna laid her heart on the other cart, and the delivery man wheeled that one back.

"Hey, go set up the equipment. We'll handle this, okay?" One doctor keeping Troy stable told the other, who nodded and exited.

"Hey, careful with his aorta." The lead doctor snapped at a worker who was surgically putting Jenna's old heart into place. Jenna's table successfully connected their donor heart, so why was it so difficult for Troy's?

After a few observations, the doctors nodded together in satisfaction; the donor heart agreed with Jenna's body and was working with flying colors. They stitched up her chest and sighed in relief.

"Wake her up." He snapped at a worker with the anesthetic equipped. Jenna then sat up instantly and scoped the room. Her eyes caught Troy, who was surrounded by doctors, and she remembered where she was and what happened.

"AAH!" She screamed, feeling her chest. "I have that slut's heart inside of me! Get it out!"

"Can't do that. Trade's been finalized." The lead doctor pointed to the table, seeing the doctor rush Troy out of the room. Jenna sat there, upset yet happy that someone she deemed 'awful' had her equally bad heart.

"JENNA!" Averi cried in happiness as she ran to her sister. A woman with blonde hair and a man with brown hair and an incredibly short beard walked in behind their youngest child. "You're okay!"

"I am, but that boy won't be." She huffed as she stood up. Her mother held onto Averi's shoulders tight while her father gave her a stern look.

"Come with me." He ordered before Averi tugged on his pant leg.

"Can you give this to Troy? It's from me." The little girl gave her father the Twilight plush.

"Averi…" Jenna groaned in anger.

"He saved you. He deserves Twilight." The little girl deadpanned as her father and older sister walked out of the room.

_~20/21~_

"Why are we here, Dad?" Jenna asked with a pout. "I'm alive, the transplant was a success. What else is there?!"

"Look into the window." As she did, she saw Troy with tubes and wires leading into a hole in his chest. On one side of the room, she saw a woman with dirty blonde hair and a man with bark brown hair holding each other, tears rushing down the woman's face.

"Are those…"

"Troy's mother and father? Yep." Her father nodded. "They had to deal with situations _like_ this ever since their son was five. They never had to deal with _this_."

"So?"

"So?! Think about it, Jenna. These two had to go to hospitals whenever he had a heart attack, thinking that their son will die."

"Then they shouldn't have had a kid." Jenna argued, smirking.

"This would've never happened if he wasn't born; that is true, but his parents wanted a little child of their own. While the defect was something they didn't want, they loved Troy anyway because he was _their_ baby. He's like you; you did drugs but we still loved you anyway."

Jenna only looked down at her hands in shame. If she'd known that, then she wouldn't detest Troy like she is now.

"I…I can't believe this…I can't believe myself." She stuttered in utter shock before looking at her father. "Why did this happen to me? Why did this happen to _him_?"

"God knows the answer, but I know one thing, dear." The man came close to his daughter's grief-filled face. "It's up to you to make this right, Jenna. Thank him for doing the transplant and give him Twilight." Her father placed the pony into her hands. "Remember that it's from Averi." His wife came back and whispered something to him frantically. As he walked off with her, he turned and looked at Jenna. "And what would Twilight think of this right now?"

Jenna pulled the pony up to her face and sighed. She thought to herself, punishment-kicking her conscious all the while.

_What would Twilight think after what I caused and what I did in reaction?_


	12. Apologetic

**Chapter 12: Apologetic**

An hour had passed since the transplant took place, and Jenna kept on waiting for the chance to speak to Troy about sacrificing his heart for her screwed-up one, and her father had told her to thank him for everything he's done. As she saw the last doctor leave Troy's room, she slipped inside.

Troy was reading a book while being alone in the room, his parents heading home after multiple tries of reassurance. She quietly walked towards him before he looked up at her in a quick glance.

"I know you're there, Jenna. You don't have to be so scared." She froze at the sound of his stern voice.

"Oh, you…noticed me?" She asked dumbly.

"I'm not deaf or blind. I just have a heart problem." He stated bluntly. Jenna held the Twilight plush tight as she took a seat at the foot of Troy's bed.

"Hey, um, I wanted to thank you for going through with the transplant. Averi couldn't be happier now, and she…" Jenna looked down at Twilight. This was Jenna's prized possession, and she was willing to give it to a boy she knew for not even a day.

"Averi wanted me to give you…this." She held Twilight up, and Troy only looked at her in shock.

"She wanted me to have Twilight?" He gasped out. "But, that was her main item, something she couldn't live without…"

"And she was willing to part with it to thank you."

"She could've just said 'thank you'. I didn't need a gift that meant her parting with her possession."

"Just take it! She wants you to have it, and it would crush her if you didn't accept it!"

"Okay, okay." Troy then gently took hold of the plush and smoothed down her fur. It felt soft and warm, and it was comforting to look at. He smiled.

"There's one other thing I need to say." Troy looked back at Jenna. "I want to…apologize to you."

"For what?"

"Calling you a slut and just being plain rude to you. I was upset about being touched by other people and so forth. I just…didn't think before I spoke. I'm really sorry."

"I forgive you, and when you insulted me, I thought it was the drugs talking."

"Probably was." Jenna giggled as her father came into the room. He pulled Jenna to him and whispered something into her ear, which made her run off.

"Um, may I help you?" Troy asked the man.

"Oh, you're the boy who saved my girl. Thank you." The man bowed slightly. "My name is Chester McDonnell, father of Jenna and Averi McDonnell."

"Burrows, Troy Burrows. Nice to meet you." The two shook hands before Chester sat down in the same place Jenna sat. He took Troy's hand in his own.

"Um, Troy, there's something I should tell you. It's about Averi." Chester held onto the boy's hand in a tighter grip.

"What's wrong? Is she okay?" Troy asked him.

"…N-No. Troy, um, she's gone."

"Averi's…dead?" Troy gasped out, holding back his grief. "H-How?"

"She fell ill after she gave Twilight to Jenna. We kept asking her if she wanted Twilight back, but she said you were meant to keep it."

"I knew I shouldn't have accepted the gift." Troy mumbled as silent tears started to leak out. "Then she'd still be alive."

"Hey, it's not your fault. I guess, when Averi gave up Twilight, she gave up on her life." Chester then had a stern look override his grief-stricken one. "But let me tell you now; you've made her happier than she has ever been when she was told to stay here. We tried cheering her up and tried giving her things she'll like, but you showing her friendship had rejuvenated her spirit."

"Well, friendship is magic." Troy giggled softly. Chester smiled.

"Cute of you to say that, but I'm here to thank you. If it wasn't for you, my little girl wouldn't go up to the heavens in happiness." Chester ducked down as he let his forehead gently touch Troy's backhand. "Bless you, Troy Burrows. B-Bless you!"

Troy and Chester sat in the thick silence, the father silently crying and letting his tears dampen Troy's backhand. The boy held back his tears as a large lump was caught in his throat.

He wasn't only upset for the loss of Averi, he was touched by how grateful her family was to him.

In his life, he never believed that anyone would be thankful that he did something to cause an overabundance of gratitude. He always thought that he would bring everyone down and cause problems with his defect, but now…now it was different. He brought a sick little girl happiness she never had since she was cooped up in a hospital and had saved her older sister by switching his heart with hers. It's not normal for things like that to occur.

"I…I…" Troy choked.

"Shh, don't say anything. Just…my family can't thank you enough for making my younger daughter happy and for switching your heart with my older daughter's." Chester released the boy's hand and hugged him tight before leaving Troy alone in his room.

"Troy, dear? Are you okay?" Trisha asked as she and Nathan entered the room and closing the door behind them. He didn't respond to their question, merely sniffing and hiccuping back sobs.

"Hey, earth to Troy! Can you hear us?" Nathan waved a hand in front of his face. He then saw the skinny frayed streaks of tears. Nate took hold of Troy's chin and looked into his son's shaky and grieving eyes.

"Troy, what's wrong?" Trish asked as she sat next to him on the bed, Nate taking the other side. Troy still didn't answer as he broke down crying. While Nathan gave a look of confusion, Trisha looked at her son with wide eyes.

"Oh, baby, I'm so sorry."

"Why is he upset?" Nate asked in a whisper, hopelessly lost.

"That girl he met here, Averi, must have passed away." Trisha whispered back.

"Oh well, he'll move on."

"Nate! Show some sympathy for once, eh?" Trisha shout-whispered as she slapped her husband.

"Ow! I'm sorry…" He trailed off as he saw his wife tightly hug Troy. He then slowly joined in the family hug as he felt his son's tears drench his shirt, hearing Trish join her son's grieving. Before Nate even knew it, he cried along with them as Chester, his wife, and Jenna watched in morbid silence from the closed door's window.

**A/N: To get off this dark note, I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year! Hopefully 2015 will be great!**

**And one other thing, I'm putting "My Little Rangers" on hiatus. I can't find time to complete the episodes/chapters now, so the best idea was to put it on hiatus until the summer; it'll most likely be lifted in early June. I'm _really, really_ sorry for it, but I'll have much more time in the summer, I promise. **


	13. Enter The Soccer Jock

**Chapter 13: Enter The Soccer Jock**

"So what you're saying is that you have a new organ?" Jake asked as he passed the ball to Troy.

"Well, sort of. It's like getting the same pair of shoes, only newer." Troy replied, passing the ball back.

"Oh. Well, that sounds…kinda cool." Jake passed the ball back to his opponent, who kicked the ball into the goal with one mighty kick.

"_Seriously?!_" Jake complained, and Troy simply laughed. "Oh, ha-ha, Burrows. Just you wait until the next round."

"Hey, Holling!" A deep voice cut through the air. Jake and Troy turned to see three boys in Harwood High Letterman jackets with light jeans and dark sneakers. One had long black hair, one was built more than the other with short blonde hair, and the main guy, with his spiky brown hair, cracked his knuckles. "What'cha doing?"

"None of your business, Hector." Jake scoffed as he held Troy's arm and began to pull them both out of there. Hector then took hold of Troy's other arm and twisted it downward. Troy quietly yelped. "Hey, dude, let him go."

"Why should I when I have the biggest gossip of the school right here?" Hector smirked as he yanked Troy from Jake's grip.

"Wait, people know about…?"

"Jordan and his horny side? Of course! They also know about Garrett's return."

"Garrett…Silvano?" Jake grinded his teeth. He knew about his and Gia's previous relationship, and seeing that the guy who hurt his crush's best friend has returned, Jake couldn't help but to feel angry.

"Who else, nitwit? He came back for Gia, and we all know about your five-star crush on her." Hearing that come out of the jock's mouth, Troy cringed internally. He didn't have to be reminded of Jake's obvious crush considering his own feelings towards Gia.

"Shut up." Jake snapped. "Just let Troy go and we'll get out of your way, okay?"

Hector only tightened his grip as he yanked Troy's arm hard. Troy hissed loudly. "Hmm…how about 'no'?"

"Hah, you tell Holling, man!" The built one cheered.

"Yeah, show him who here is boss!" The long-haired crony added.

"George, zip it!" Hector hissed at the long-haired teen. The built one laughed. "You too, Xavier." Both boys were dead silent.

"Now, where were we? Oh, right." The leader of the boys touched foreheads with Jake. "Listen here, buddy. Everyone knows I'm dating Natalie, but you…"

"I know that you have a crush on Gia like me?" Jake smirked. Hector looked around quickly before swinging Troy into Jake's side. Both boys fell to the ground. "Don't speak a word or I'll kill you _both_." Hector then snapped as he and his posse of two left them alone.

"Ow…" Troy hissed as he massaged circles on his arm. Jake helped him onto his feet before placing a hand on his own chest.

"Is this...?"

"I'm fine, Jake. Don't worry; only my arm hurts." Troy smiled assuredly before his mood dropped. "Uh, Jake, about what Hector said…"

"About the school knowing or Gia?"

"Both. Does the entire school really know?"

"Yeah. Gossip flies fast here. An event like what happened to you spreads like wildfire."

"Oh…" Troy looked at his feet, a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"Hey, they may know that, but they don't know your actual secret." Jake wrapped an arm around his friend's shoulder.

"Speaking of which, thank for telling Noah." Troy snapped.

"Sorry about that. We tell each other everything, and I guess it slipped out." Troy only sighed.

"Well, at least Noah didn't tell anyone else." He admitted. Jake smiled before moving on to their second point of contention; Gia.

"You were also concerned about Gia." Jake stated. Troy looked at him.

"Yeah, uh…I'm just shocked that Hector likes another girl over Natalie. She's the cheerleading captain!"

"How do you know she is?"

"She's been hitting on me and she told me that to impress me. I have to say; she can really keep the girls in line."

"Yeah." Jake nodded. "But you seemed upset when he admitted his feelings. Do…you like Gia too?"

"Um…" Troy's face turned as red as his spandex. Jake wasn't angered, nor was he okay with it. "To be honest, I like her too, but I won't have a shot with her, no matter how close we get by being Rangers together."

"Ah, so whoever she chooses, we'll have to deal with it?" Jake removed his wrapped hand and held it out for agreement. Troy shook it, but the talk he had with Gia was on replay in his mind:

_"…__You definitely deserve to be with a boy, Gia, but the right boy. I'm sure he'll come around." Troy commented, side-hugging her._

_"__Please tell me you don't mean Jake." Gia pleaded._

_"__Trust me, I don't." Gia began to open her mouth. "I don't mean Noah either. What I mean is that sometime in your life, you'll meet a great boy who will knock you off your feet, and I'm sure I'll meet a great girl too."_

_"__Maybe…it's…you." Gia whispered loud enough for Troy to hear. _

_"__W-What?"_

_"__Troy, maybe that boy is you. Maybe you're the guy that'll knock me off my feet."_

_"__Gia, I-I don't know, maybe…but we should wait it out, see if anyone else interests us. If someone does sweep us away, then we be with that person. If not, we could…you know…"_

_Gia nodded. "And what if one of us has our sights set on someone?"_

_"__The other waits until a break-up or they find the one for them. There's no point in longing for someone when they're already in a relationship."_

_"__Okay then. It's a deal!" Gia concluded as she and Troy shook hands in agreement._

As the same conversation kept on going, Troy could feel himself realizing that he _likes_ Gia, just like Jake and Hector do. He has then same crush the majority of the boys have in the school. He's just like the others, and that was one thing he didn't want to be to a girl like Gia; _just like every other guy._

"…Troy? Earth to Troy? You have a girl on your arm." Jake pointed to a girl in a black cheerleading outfit, her lemon blonde hair tied back with a matching bow. The girl was none other than the cheerleading captain and second most popular girl in school, Natalie Cooley.

"Why, hello there, Troy." She cooed in admiration before seeing Jake across from them. "Oh, hi Jake."

"Uh…hi?" He responded.

"Look, Natalie…" Troy began before her finger silenced his lips.

"Shh, don't say a word. I don't want my boyfriend seeing us together." Natalie massaged the injury area when she heard Troy hiss. "Oh, did Hector hurt you? How rude!"

"Yeah, he stormed in and threatened to beat me and Troy up if we spilled his secret."

"Secret? What secret?!" Natalie asked hastily, looking into Jake's eyes while holding Troy's hand.

"Jake!" Troy whispered in shame. Jake ducked his head slightly.

"Excuse me, Holling, I asked you a question. What is Hector's secret?!" Natalie clutched Jake's black shirt with her free hand, her other hand gently squeezing her crush's hand.

"Um, uh…_Hector has a crush on Gia!_" Jake blurted out quickly, but Natalie kept a calm composure as she let go and tightly hugged Troy. He looked at him in disappointment. "Smooth, Jake, real smooth."

"Sorry?" Jake asked in apology. Natalie then moved herself to face Troy, her ocean eyes gazing into his emeralds. She stroked his cheek with two fingers and smiled through clenched tears.

"_Hey! What the hell are you doing with my girlfriend?!_" That booming voice belonged to Hector as he approached the three teens alone.

"Hector!" Natalie gasped. "What are you doing here? I thought you were around your girlfriend."

"I am now..." Hector's eyes the widened as he then held Jake up by his jacket. "You told my girlfriend?!" He screamed.

"He did, and the only one who deserves a beating is you." Natalie moved in between the boys and kicked Hector in the stomach, sending the soccer player to his knees. "You broke my heart and was going to run off with my competition! What's wrong with you?!"

"I…I…" Hector gasped in air.

"I don't need to know. We're through." Natalie scoffed as she hooked her arm with Troy's. "I have a new boyfriend now."

"WHAT?!" Everyone gasped.

"Yep, Troy's my boyfriend!" Natalie chirped as the new 'couple walked off towards the school building.

"Wow…I guess Troy's out of the 'Winning Gia' contest."

"Y-Yep." Hector got to his feet. "But that doesn't mean you're safe from me and that you'll get her." Jake wasted no time running after Troy and Natalie as Hector chased him.

From behind the nearby tree, Gia crossed her arms and sighed. "I can't believe that Troy of all people would be like the other boys here." She made fists. "No, that's not Troy. I'm going to get to the bottom of this whole 'contest' and get the guy I want, no matter if anyone approves or not."


	14. Rally

**Chapter 14: Rally**

"So, Troy, I was wondering if you would like to go to this restaurant my uncle owns here in town tonight. What do you say?" Natalie asked as she put her books into her backpack, shutting her locker. It was considered bad luck he got his locker put next to hers.

"Well, the pep rally is in two days, and I need to make sure my music's ready, so I'm gonna have to say 'no'." Troy looked over at her before closing his locker.

"Oh, well, maybe I can have dinner with you at your house…"

"No!" Natalie looked at him. "Uh, I mean, I guess you could, but…"

"Yes! You're the best, Troy!" She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders and kissed his cheek deeply. "Does six work?"

"Um, well…I guess so."

"Great! See you then." Natalie kissed the opposite cheek before walking away. Troy sighed and shook his head, walking through the school and entering the band room.

"Dude, Troy, where have you been?!" A Trumpet player, Randy, asked.

"Natalie made plans to come over to my house for dinner."

"What?! Dude, you got Natalie over at your house?" A Trombone player, Christian, asked, to which Randy smacked him.

"Dude, everyone knows Troy has been going out with Natalie."

"Oh. Well, I don't know anything anymore!"

The three boys sat down on the plastic chairs. "Chris, it isn't my job to tell you the latest gossip."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's Troy's job." Randy nudged the boy's arm.

"Whoa, what? No way! It should be Chris's own job to learn it himself."

"Yeah." Both boys nodded as the double doors opened. To Troy's surprise, it was…Gia who walked in.

"So this is where you go?" She asked Troy.

"No, not often enough. We're just waiting for everyone else to arrive. What are you doing here?"

"Just coming to visit." She looked at Randy and Christian. "So these are the friends you've made that aren't me, Emma, Noah, or Jake?"

"Gia!" Troy pulled her aside. "Yes, but don't be so mean. Randy and Chris are…socially awkward, but they're two great guys."

"I'll take your word for it." He walked back over and sat down. "Okay, I'm going to leave you three be." Gia only turned and walked out of the room.

"Wow, she's so pretty!" Randy cooed.

"How can I make her the future Mrs. Christian Randall?" Christian asked, blushing hard.

"I don't know, maybe you should ask your brother." Troy joked.

"Come on, Chase wouldn't help me out on winning Gia."

"Really?" Randy asked. "Your twin brother wouldn't help you get a girl? Last time he was in town, you aptly named him 'Chase Randall: Girl-Getter'."

"Not the best name choice." Troy slapped Chris's shoulder.

"I know." Christian looked down as the double doors opened, band kids spilling into the room.

"Good afternoon, class." The conductor, Mr. Springer, greeted. They replied with an equal-sounding tone.

"Now, after reviewing our music, I need to make a few changes. Percussionists, here are your new assigned parts." The ten players all dejectedly took their new parts and positioned themselves at their newest instruments. "And there was another change. Troy, I'm going to have you play stand-up bass instead of electric. Go into the orchestra room to get the bass; the teacher picked it out for you." Also feeling dejected, Troy packed his bass away and walked across the hall into Mrs. Jacobson's room. He liked her; she was very joyful and was also from Canada too. However, she just came into Harwood a week ago.

"Ah, Troy." She greeted, a smile on her young face. "Nice to see you here!"

"Nice to see you, too." He smiled. Behind her was a sleek red case, one with his name on it. "Is that the bass Mr. Springer said was for me?"

"Yep!" Troy walked over and began wheeling it out of the door when he stopped. "I promise to return it after rehearsal is over."

"Oh, there's no need. That's for you, _only_ you."

"Wait, you bought a custom bass just for me?"

"Of course!" She hugged him. "We stick together, don't we?" She asked with a wink.

"Right." He winked back.

"You know, I was wondering if I could meet your family sometime. My cousin will be in town, so I could invite her along too. She's your age."

"I guess that could be alright. Tonight doesn't work, though, I'll talk to them about it."

"Great. Anytime works for me." Troy smiled and waved as he left the room to continue rehearsal.

_~20/21~_

"So, you're Troy's girlfriend?" Nathan asked, confused beyond belief.

"Yes, sir." Natalie nodded as she took a forkful of mashed potatoes. All Nathan and Trisha did was blink in astonishment; their son has a _girlfriend_.

"We've only been together for a few hours, so don't worry too much about it." Troy assured his parents.

"Oh, Troy, don't be like that." Trisha playfully pushed him. "Natalie is a really great girl, and I think you two have something going."

"Oh, thank you, Mrs. Burrows." Natalie smiled wide and hooked her arm with Troy's.

"_Mom._" Troy grunted through his teeth.

"It's pretty nice that Troy managed to find someone like you." Nathan chuckled. "With his heart defect, we thought he wouldn't be able to find any girl to settle down with."

"_Dad._" Troy grunted at his father this time, but that made Natalie giggle…for a second.

"Oh, I didn't know that Troy was suffering from something so…traumatizing." She couldn't find the right word, and it seemed like she didn't, for Troy had gotten up abruptly and grimly walked to his room.

"Troy!" Natalie shouted as she followed him. Running up the stairs, she found him in his bedroom. His back was to her, and it seemed like he was looking out the window, staring at the full moon.

"Troy, why did you leave?" Natalie asked, walking closer to him.

He turned to face her. "You only want to date me to gain more attention. It's what all girls do." He answered. "You'll date me to embarrass me later on."

"No, that's not true. Troy, do you want to know the real reason of why I like you?"

"It would be nice to hear what you _really_ think of me." Troy sat up and moved next to Natalie.

"I like you because of who you are. You're kind, helpful, and you stick up for those who can't. You provide a comforting aura to people around you, and despite the ongoing hardship you're facing with your defect, you look to fight the trauma it gives you. Troy, you're an inspiration to those who need that guiding light."

"Not anymore after Jordan." Troy pointed out.

"He was just blinded by jealousy. I've seen girls and boys act like that to get that special someone. Troy, he was jealous of you and your abilities, and when he tried to hurt you, he failed."

The two sat in the silence of the night, a few cars passing by the house. Troy felt a hand hold his tightly, Natalie's hand.

"Do you see now? That's why I like you." She finished, and he smiled at her. He tightened his grip onto Natalie's hand, and she smiled warmly. Maybe having her as a girlfriend wasn't so bad after all.

"...I see why you like me, but why did all the other girls flirt with me?" Troy asked, bewildered.

"Probably because you're a _really_ handsome boy. That's another reason I like you." She winked.

"Really?" Natalie only giggled as she walked back downstairs, Troy following with a changed attitude.

_~20/21~_

"You're happy." Jake commented as he walked with Troy and Noah to school.

"Natalie was over at my place last night. We talked and I think my view of her changed."

"Really. Glad to see things will work out for you two." Noah nodded contently as he spoke.

"I don't know, Noah. I still feel like me and her as a couple won't work out in the end."

The two boys shrugged as they kept walking, but Troy seemed to lag behind before he stopped walking entirely. Noah turned around and ran over to his friend's side, and Jake turned around a bit later.

"Troy, are you okay?" Noah moved his hand to the center of Troy's chest. "Is it...are you going to...?" Troy didn't respond. He only stared at his shoes with a blank expression.

"Troy!" Jake started shaking him. "Come on, man, this isn't funny. If you're going through your little episode, just tell us and I'll make the call."

"What?" Troy finally responded as his head shot up. "What's wrong?"

"Troy...you zoned us out. We thought you were having a..." Noah was cut off as Troy gave him a look.

"No, I'm fine, but...I saw something." Both boys were interested. They leaned in closer to Troy.

"What do you mean, exactly?" Jake asked.

"Jake, it's simple. Troy had a vision of the possible future. What it was about is what I'm interested in." Noah answered.

"It was during the pep rally. While the cheerleaders were doing whatever routine they were doing, the back of the gym exploded and a monster stormed in with an army of Loogies. They shot at the bleachers and ceiling. Kids were crushed by the rubble, including some of us. The others remaining in our group either fled with everyone to save them...or was taken prisoner."

"What? Troy, come on, that's not gonna happen." Jake assured him.

"I don't know, but it seems like Troy could be right about this, Jake. Though, it seems like he's experienced something else premonition-related..." Troy hastily rushed ahead of Jake and Noah, frustrated with what Noah was going to say next.

"Nice going, you drove him off." Jake scoffed at Noah. "Troy, come back!" The Black Ranger chased after his leader, and Noah was left on his own.

"I didn't mean to upset Troy, but I should've talked with him in private. There's no doubt about it, though; Troy is having premonitions...and I'm determined to figure it out." As he ran to catch up with his two friends, a pair of curved eyes watched from the bushes.

"The target's acquired, Master Vrak. The Ranger will be in your grasp soon enough." His high voice stated as he teleported back onto the base ship.

"Excellent." The blue and silver colored alien, Vrak, cooed. "This project must be enacted without a hitch."

"Yes, sire. I see to it that the Ranger will build the project to your liking." The monster bowed as he was teleported off of the ship to grab their prize.

"Vrak!" A green and orange moth-like monster screeched as he entered the main room. "Was that Veloctor you were just talking to? What are you up to now?!"

"Just a project that will eliminate the Rangers once and for all. Earth will soon be ours…"

_~20/21~_

It wasn't easy for Troy to walk through the hallway after what happened, and Jake was right; gossip spread like wildfire. Kids were giggling and some made snobby comments about him, and even a few teachers did the same.

"Hey, ignore them. They'll laugh until it happens to them. And it looks like your girlfriend is sticking up for you." Jake pointed to Natalie, who silenced a group of chatty girls.

"She's still not my girlfriend." Troy grunted as he shut his locker door. He then felt someone pull him into Mr. Burley's classroom. The room was empty except for Troy himself and...Noah.

"Troy, listen, I'm sorry if I upset you with starting on the premonition-related thing. I wasn't watching myself when I spoke, so if you do have anything like that, just tell me and maybe I can help you out." Noah rushed out.

"Noah...I forgive you."

"Please, I didn't mean...wait, what?"

"I forgive you. Your curiosity took over, that's all. To help you, I'll tell you about what I've experienced." They pulled up a plastic chair.

"The first one I got was on the bus for the first day of school here. It was of all these different Rangers battling an army of grayish foot soldiers. The others I had while asleep in bed, and they were all the same, except for a few..."

Noah leaned in closer to Troy. "What were those ones?"

"One was me and another Ranger in silver fighting against a dark-colored monster, and he looked to be in command of the foot soldiers. The vision ended with the ship crashing...and we were still on it. One was of me being chained to something metallic, but all I could see was a gray color. A deep, raspy voice announced something that put me in danger. One rare one had the same color, but I was moaning. Something rough, cold and scaly was touching me, and I was left there defenseless as this thing messed with me."

Noah sat there in thought. _A cluster of Rangers fighting together? Troy and an unknown ally fighting side by side which ended in their deaths? Troy being chained to something and having a voice putting him in danger? Something...messing with Troy as he's left defenseless? This is pretty interesting..._

"Thanks for this." Noah smiled. "I'll look into this with Gosei and Tensou and maybe we can help you figure this out, okay?"

"Okay." Troy nodded. The two left the room to find the hallway completely empty. No one was around from corridor to corridor, and the boys assumed that everyone's at the pep rally...which meant...

"Oh no! I'm late, and I'm not ready with my instrument and music!" Troy shouted. He buried his face in his hands.

"Hey, it's okay. Besides you guys go last, so we can check the pep rally out for now." As they walked through the halls, Noah felt a question buzz around in his head. He wondered why Troy was the only one to get such a gift/curse, but Troy might not know. He figured that Gosei and Tensou would know, so the question was saved for later.

"Noah!" He heard Troy shout as the ground shook. Running to his friend's side, they saw students flee the gym; the monster had arrived.

Inside, Jake, Emma, and Gia stood firm as rubble fell onto students and the others had fled. The three heard footsteps behind him, and saw Troy and Noah join them.

"What happened here?" Noah asked.

"This creep crashed the party." Gia pointed to the monster. It was a chocolate color blob, and it arms and legs were anything but. It had distinctive, curved blue eyes and a steel sword in its hand as he scared the remaining students.

"This guy needs to be taken care of. Now." Jake sternly stated.

"Then what are we waiting for? It's morphin' time!" Troy shouted as he pulled out his morpher. The others did the same.

"_Go Go Megaforce!_"

"_Megaforce…Pink!_"

"_Megaforce…Black!_"

"_Megaforce…Blue!_"

"_Megaforce…Yellow!_"

"_Megaforce…Red!_"

The five Rangers charged at the monster, but the Loogies swarmed first. Gia, Jake, and Emma pulled their blasters out and fired a barrage of blasts towards a large cluster of the foot soldiers that were standing in the clean bleachers. Troy and Noah equipped the Dragon Sword and Shark Bowgun, respectively, and ran towards the monster.

"Ooh, ooh, what do we have here?" The monster asked in his high-pitched voice. "You're the two I've been watching for Master Vrak and Malkor!"

"Vrak and Malkor?" Troy asked. "Who are they?"

"They're the toughest of the tough, they're like you." He pointed a gnarled finger at Troy. "They're the leaders."

"They may be leaders, but they're nothing like Troy! And you're not gonna touch him!" Noah shouted as he charged towards the monster, who he learned had the name of Veloctor.

"Noah!" Troy called as he helped his friend out with the monster. Gia, Jake, and Emma saw their predicament and ran to help. Gia equipped her Tiger Claw, Emma equipped her Phoenix Shot, and Jake equipped his Snake Ax.

"Hiyah!" The three shouted as they struck down Veloctor, defending Troy and Noah. The girls helped the downed boys up to their feet.

"Thanks, guys. Now, let's finish this!" Troy shouted.

"_Combine! Megaforce Blaster!_" The large weapon was aimed at the monster, who stood firm. As the large golden blast came barreling towards him, Veloctor deflected it back.

_And it was coming at Noah._

Troy, seeing the Blue Ranger's issue, pushed his friend down, but the Yellow, Pink, and Black Rangers had taken the blast full force. Jake slammed into the bleachers, Gia was enveloped by a rubble pile, and Emma had destroyed a large section of the wall that protected the kids hiding. Emma had chosen to stay and protect them instead of going back to fight.

Jake had run over to rescue Gia, and Troy had pulled Noah to his feet. The Red and Blue Rangers held their blaster, but now had their small animal motif as the barrel.

"Dragon Blast!" Troy shouted as he fired the red blast. The shot injured one of Veloctor's arms.

"Shark Blast!" Noah shouted, and the blue blast injured the other arm. The monster grunted as he set his sight on Troy.

"I'm tired of you interfering!" Veloctor cried as he fired a dark ball of burning energy into Troy's chest. He stumbled forward and landed on his stomach, groaning and grunting in pain.

"Troy!" Noah cried, kneeling next to his leader. "Argh, that's it!"

He ran at the monster with nothing but his fists and legs. The monster had managed to regain strength in his arms enough to land blows onto Noah's chest. By the time Noah had been forced to the ground for the third time, Troy had gotten to his feet.

But that was all he did as he stood and watched. Jake had let Gia get onto her feet after being freed, and he glanced between Troy and Noah. As he finished looking at the motionless Troy, he looked to see Noah being thrown over Veloctor's shoulder.

"Noah!" Jake cried as he saw the monster kidnap his best friend, teleporting away just as he skidded to the place where Veloctor stood. He, Troy, and Gia demorphed as everyone came into the gym. Kids and teachers cleaned up the rubble while other dug into the piles to rescue the kids buried underneath.

"Guys, what happened in here?" Emma asked as she came up to them, demorphed and had hooked arms with Gia.

"Noah was captured by the Warstar alien we fought." Jake looked around until his eyes landed on Troy. "And it's all his fault!"

"What?!" The girls asked, shocked that the leader would pull something like this.

Troy simply walked down the bleachers and stood a few feet away from Jake, who still had his finger pointed at him.

"After he got enough energy to stand up, he only stood there as Noah was snagged. I was busy helping Gia get free, so at least I had a reason I couldn't help him."

"Jake…" Emma muttered.

Jake then butted heads with Troy. "My Mom was right about you. You are a monster. I never want to see your face again, even after we save Noah."

As Jake walked away, Gia and Emma stared at Troy before leaving him behind as well. Troy in response, clicked a button on his morpher and teleported away, leaving the unsuspecting people in the gym alone to clean up.

**A/N: Hey, I threw in a Dino Charge reference! So excited for this season! Yes, I know I'm a bad person for finally introducing the big things in the actual show kinda late and for getting a plot like this into the story. I'll try to do better about that and to do more events like this one.**


End file.
